Yucatán Spiced Turkey Cutlets Recipes

BUTTERFLIED TURKEY WITH YUCATAN RUB

Steps:

• For the turkey: The day before serving, heat 3 quarts of the water with salt and sugar in a large pan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 quart cold water, and stir. Set brine aside to cool to room temperature.
• Put turkey in a large container and cover with the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours. (If you want to brine the turkey overnight, use half the amount of salt and sugar.)
• For rub: Crumble annatto paste into a food processor and blend with the garlic, oregano, coriander, black pepper, salt, and allspice. Add the fruit juices and the olive oil and process to make a pasty sauce. Drain and pat the turkey very dry. Smear the rub all over the bird. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare an outdoor grill with a large medium-heat fire for direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side of the grill.
• Place turkey, breast side up, over the drip pan and grill, covered, until meat is cooked about halfway through, about 50 minutes. Turn and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 50 minutes more. Move turkey to direct heat and rotate to evenly brown the skin in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a carving board, cover, and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
• Shopsmart: Annatto paste is a Mexican flavoring composed of ground annatto, or achiote, seeds mixed with herbs-usually oregano-and spices. The rust-color paste is then pressed into a compact brick. Look for it in the Hispanic section of your grocery.

SPICED TURKEY CUTLETS

Steps:

• Let the vegetable oil get heated in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle turkey cutlets w/ salt and pepper.
• Place cutlets in pan; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until done.
• Remove cutlets from pan and keep warm.
• Add in onions and bell pepper to skillet; stir/saute for 2 minutes.
• Add in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 3 minutes).
• Serve sauce with turkey; couscous goes well with this.

YUCATáN SPICED TURKEY CUTLETS

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the spice rub. Measure out 1 tablespoon and set aside. Store the remaining spice rub for future use. Place the turkey cutlets on a plate. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, lime juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Spoon marinade over the turkey and turn to coat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over both sides of the turkey. Cover and marinate, turning once or twice, about 1 hour. 2. Prepare the salsa, if using. Then, heat a stovetop grill pan over medium heat. (If using a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan.) Place the cutlets on the hot pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the cutlets are marked well by the grill and the meat is no longer pink inside at the thickest part. Serve hot with the salsa, if using.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.