Steamed Breast of Turkey in Parma Ham with a Spinach and Ricotta Farce

This is an Italian inspired dish created for a Thanksgiving meal. A pleasant change from the traditional roast, the turkey breasts are accompanied with pumpkin gnocchi and cranberry sauce.

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8 Portions
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Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour

Ingredients

Spinach and Ricotta Farce

  • 400g spinach, wash and trim the spinach, place in a saucepan with a little water and cook over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes until wilted, remove from the pan and squeeze out the excess water
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 250g ricotta
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 2 tbsp basil, shredded
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Breast

  • 2x800g (1/2) turkey breast
  • 8-12 large parma ham slices (dependant on the size)
  • pumpkin gnocchi (see recipe)
  • 150g rocket leaves
  • cranberry sauce (see recipe)
  • polenta croutons (see recipe)

Method

  1. Spinach and Ricotta Farce: Finely chop the spinach and place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, mix until well incorporated. Season to taste (store in the refrigerator until ready to serve).
  2. Turkey Breast: Place the turkey breasts on a work top so that the side which was cut from the bone is facing up. From the centre of the fillet make an incision with a knife along the thick side of the breast (being careful not to cut through it). Open the cut side spreading the breasts out and flatten slightly with a mallet or rolling pin, being careful as not to tear the skin.
  3. To Fill: Cover one half the breasts with the ricotta farce and fold over the other half. Place 2 large sheets of baking parchment on a work top. Lay the 4-6 slices of parma out on on each sheet of baking parchment in a single layer (slightly over lapping). Place the turkey breasts on the slices and wrap the parma round them. Roll the turkey breasts in the baking parchment. The breasts can be refigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.
  4. To Steam: Fill a steamer with water so that it is half filled. Cover the steamer and bring the water to the boil, then reduce it to a steady simmer. Place the breasts in the top half of the steamer and cover with a lid. Leave the turkey to breast to cook for 1 hour. The meat should be white and firm when cooked. Remove the Turkey Rolls from the steamer and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
  5. To Serve: Slice the Turkey Rolls and serve with cranberry sauce, pumpkin gnocchi with walnut sauce on a handful of rocket and wedges of polenta or accompaniments of your choice.