When you think of turkey and Christmas it is always all about the whole bird, legs, breast, the whole works. You think of hours in the kitchen and endless preparations and cooking. Well what if you don’t want to go the whole hog (or rather bird) but still want turkey but without all the trimmings, fuss and bother?
This Greek style turkey with a warm salad and served with couscous is the way to go. You’ll get all the flavour of turkey and none of the hassle. While a whole turkey can be dry, this turkey breast fillet is seriously moist and succulent, giving you the true taste of turkey at its best.
Here is what you need for your Greek Style Turkey
1 turkey breast fillet
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried mint
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the warm Salad
1 cup green beans
1 small courgette sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
10 baby tomatoes
1 small onion sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a few cubes of feta cheese
a few torn mint leaves to serve
Here’s How;
This is such a quick way to cook turkey, you are simply going to cover it with the dried herbs, lemon zest and seasonings and marinate it in the fridge for 1 hour to get all those gorgeous flavours into the meat.
After this you simply sear the meat for about 3 minutes on each side in a hot pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then cover the pan and lower the heat and let it cook through for 10-12 minutes. Test with a thin knife in the centre to make sure the meat is completely done and remove from the pan and keep warm under a clean tea towel.
For the warm salad simply blanch the green beans, courgettes and peppers for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain. Toss all the veggies in the olive oil, season well and pop in the oven at 190C/375F for 30 minutes.
Serve this hearty and super tasty dish with a few cubes of feta cheese and torn mint leaves over the salad and some couscous and lemon.
Christmas doesn’t have to be totally traditional you know, you can always add and subtract as you fancy.
Whatever you eat on Christmas Day, enjoy every mouthful.
Karon x
- 1 turkey breast fillet
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried mint
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 small courgette sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 10 baby tomatoes
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- a few cubes of feta cheese
- a few torn mint leaves to serve
- Marinate the turkey breast in the lemon juice with the zest and dried herbs and seasoningsfor one hour (in a non metalic dish and covered)
- Press down hard on either side of the fillet with a rolling pin to flatten it a litte and make it easier to cook.
- Fry in the olive oil in a hot pan for 3 minutes on each side to sear and seal.
- Lower the heat and cover the pan either with a lid of tinfoil and cook for a further 10-12 minutes until the fillet is completely cooked all the way through.
- Make the salad by quickly blanching the green beans, courgettes and peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain.
- Place all ingredients into an oven proof dish and season well, add the oil, cover and bake in the over (190C/375F) for 30 minutes.
- Serve the salad with the feta cheese tossed into it and with a scattering of torn mint leaves alongside the turkey, add some couscous and leon to finish the dish.
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