Chicken Marsala has become a ubiquitous dish in the United States. Of course, the origin of this Italian specialty was veal Marsala, not chicken. Veal has now become so expensive that it’s prohibitive for many. And then there are the moral issues about eating veal. What I’ve learned is that turkey is the best substitute for veal, and thus my Turkey Marsala recipe.
Turkey breast scallops, pounded thin, are so close in taste to veal that my mother, who refused to eat any poultry, was fooled when I served her turkey instead of veal. Turkey Marsala is an elegant and flavorful dish, and it’s so easy and quick to make.
What is Marsala wine anyway. It’s a fortified wine made in Sicily in the vicinity of the city of Marsala. Some recipes for Marsala dishes call for sweet Marsala. I find this tends to make the sauce cloying, so I recommend dry Marsala.
If you can’t find precut turkey cutlets in the supermarket, buy a whole skinned turkey breast (preferably boneless). Place it in the freezer for about 1⁄2 hour to make it easier to slice. Then cut 1⁄4-inch slices from it with a very sharp, thin-bladed knife. Freeze the remainder of the turkey for another use.
Slice the turkey scallops.
Place the cut turkey slices between two sheets of wax paper, and pound them as thin as possible—without tearing them—with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat cleaver.
Flatten the turkey slices.
Slice the mushrooms and sauté them in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper, and scrape them into a bowl, keeping them warm.
Sauté the mushrooms.
Just before frying, season the turkey scallops with salt and pepper.
Season the turkey scallops.
Dredge them in the flour. Place the scallops in a sieve, shaking off any excess flour. If you don’t shake off the flour, the scallops will take on a sticky and gluey texture.
Dredge the scallops in flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet until bubbling hot. When the foam subsides, sauté the turkey scallops a few at a time (don’t crowd the pan) until browned, about 2 minutes on each side.
Sauté the scallops.
Remove to a hot platter and keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
Pour the Marsala and beef stock into the same pan, and over high heat reduce the liquids to less than half, or until the liquids become syrupy. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter a bit at a time. Taste for seasoning.
Make the sauce.
Scatter the mushrooms over the turkey scallops, and pour the sauce over them.
Turkey Marsala
Turkey Marsala serves two.
