HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!
The second Monday of October has been the day Canada has celebrated Thanksgiving since 1957. You might say it is synonymous with autumn & the harvest season. For us, it’s a time to be thankful for having the privilege of being Canadian and able to live in such a wonderful country.
I, for one, have always loved the changing seasons. That’s not to say that I like freezing cold and slippery roads but that I have come to understand the important role each one plays in the ‘big picture’. When Brion and I initially landscaped our property, careful consideration was given to what plants were planted. Over the years it has developed into a beautiful tapestry of color through our growing season.
Growing up on the farm, Fall was an especially busy time with the grain crops being harvested, garden vegetables being canned, frozen or just stored for use over the coming months. So much needed to be done before winter would set in. As a teenager it all just seemed like a lot of work. Even as hard as my parents worked at making a living from farming, I think they felt a real sense of satisfaction in what they were able to achieve. Now I realize that even without being aware of it the visual beauty of the farmland at harvest was imprinted on me forever.
Our Thanksgiving meal today was inspired by the traditional Italian pork classic ‘porchetta’, a savory and moist boneless pork roast.
Porchetta is one of Italy’s most famous pork dishes. The term ‘porchetta’ traditionally refers to a whole boned and roasted young pig, specifically one which has been flavored with herbs, garlic and seasoning and cooked until the skin turns to golden crackling. The name of the dish stems from the word ‘porco’, meaning pork. It is a staple of numerous village festivals, fairs, markets, and concerts, when the streets of Rome are packed with food trucks selling this flavorful dish that is usually served on its own or as a filling for sandwiches. Italian immigrants brought the dish to North America in the early 20th century, where it is often referred to as Italian pulled pork.
The key elements of the finished dish are juicy meat, soft fat and crispy crust. In modern Umbrian kitchens, porchetta has expanded beyond pork, so that ‘porchetta-style’ has simply come to mean boneless meat, rolled round garlic and herbs, and roasted.
This ‘turchetta’ or roast turkey breast stuffed and rolled in the style of Tuscan porchetta makes a delicious alternative to ‘the same old Thanksgiving bird‘.
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- 340 gm thick-cut bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 3 cups day-old sourdough bread, torn into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, picked
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp Herbamare vegetable salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1.8 kg boneless half turkey breast, butterflied
- salt & pepper for seasoning
- olive oil
- 12 slices bacon
- Twine for tying
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until golden & starting to crisp. Add butter, onion, celery & garlic. Sauté in bacon drippings until tender & golden.
- Toss sautéed veggies with crispy bacon, bread cubes, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper & chicken broth. Set aside while you prepare chicken breast.
- On a cutting board, place butterflied turkey breast & pound with a mallet so that the turkey is of even thickness throughout. Season with salt & pepper. Fill with stuffing, leaving a 1-inch border along the sides.
- Starting at the end closest to you, roll the turkey into a tight log shape & tie with twine. Season with salt & pepper & drizzle with a touch of olive oil.
- Roast for about 40-45 minutes until skin begins to crisp. On a piece of saran weave together a bacon 'mat'. Remove turkey from oven, cut twine & place turkey breast on the bacon mat. Using saran, turn roast over & tuck ends underneath the turkey breast. If necessary, use toothpicks to keep ends in place. Place in a roasting pan with a wire rack on the bottom to help drain away some of the drippings.
- Raise oven temperature to 350 F.
- Return turkey breast to oven & roast until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. & the bacon is crispy.
- Allow turkey to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing & serving.
