Turkey and basil work surprisingly well together; the combination is quite refreshing, and if need be you can use chicken too.
Ingredients:
- 2 turkey drumsticks, or 2 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh)
- Sage, Rosemary, bay leaf, and parsley, minced (you'll want 1/3 cup of the mixture)
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 30 basil leaves
- 1 1/4 pounds fresh unsalted butter
- The juice of a lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Hot broth (it can be canned, if need be)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 385 F (200 C).Combine the minced herbs and bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the turkey drumsticks and put them in a lightly oiled oven pan. Roast them for 20 minutes, then sprinkle them with a ladle of broth and continue roasting for another 50.
In the meantime, wash and pat dry the basil leaves. Grind them in a mortar (you can use a food processor, but be careful not to liquefy them), and work them into the butter, together with the lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste. Set the creamed butter to chill in the refrigerator.
Once the turkey is done carve the meat from the bones and arrange it on a platter, drizzling it with some of the drippings. Serve with the flavored butter, which the diners will add to taste.
A note:Turkey drumsticks are slightly blander than chicken, but contain bony tendons. The recipe will also work well with chicken legs (the hip and drumstick), which do not. Figure roughly the same roasting time and temperature, and a chicken leg per person. I'd serve this with a zesty red wine, for example a Dolcetto or an unoaked Barbera. Chianti d'annata or Valpolicella Classico would also be nice.
