During the 18 years I had my restaurant I prepared thousands of takeout Thanksgiving dinners. I was particularly happy to help with smaller families who might not have had a Thanksgiving dinner if I had not prepared it. Many home cooks feel preparing a whole turkey or even a turkey breast is just too much work for 2 or 3 people. What a shame! This is an easy recipe that comes together in less than an hour. Add another hour for the sides and you could get a Petite Thanksgiving feast on the table in a couple of hours.
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INGREDIENTS:
24 oz pkg 1 turkey beast tenderloin without additional flavorings or marinades
1 bunch spinach, washed
¼ # prosciutto, very thinly sliced
2 T olive oil
1 T flour
Salt and pepper
¼ C shallots, minced
2 T garlic, minced
¼ C white wine
2 C low sodium chicken broth
3 T half and half
2 t ea fresh thyme leaves & sage leaves, minced
METHOD:
Butterfly the tenderloin. Lay the tenderloin vertically on your cutting board. Using a sharp knife, begin cutting the tenderloin in a horizontal motion about ¾” thick. Slice almost all the way to the opposite side of the tenderloin. Push back the portion on top and repeat the cutting motion again. Imagine you are unrolling a roll of paper towels or gift wrap. Sprinkle with salt, pepper. Set aside.
Blanch the spinach. In a shallow sauté pan boil ½ C lightly salted water. Add cleaned spinach and remove from heat. Allow spinach to wilt slightly. Remove to paper towels and blot dry. Cool and set aside.
Lay the blanched spinach on top of each prepared tenderloin. Top with a single layer of prosciutto. Roll the tenderloin and secure with kitchen twine. Sprinkle with additional salt, pepper, ½ minced herbs and all of the flour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large over proof sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the tenderloins in the pan seam side down and brown well on all sides. Remove tenderloins from pan.
Add shallots and sauté briefly. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Add white wine to deglaze, taking care to scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce until almost all liquid has evaporated. Add broth and ½ and ½. Return tenderloins to pan and place in preheated oven for 15- 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Remove tenderloins from pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Finish sauce on stove top. Add remaining herbs and reduce until thickened slightly. Remove twine and slice tenderloins into ½” thick slices. Pass sauce.
Serves 2-4 with leftovers
