ETHEL’S PESACH-STUFFED TURKEY BREAST
First stop of the Magical Matzoh Progressive Passover Dinner Tour is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the home of Ethel Hofman. She is cookbook author extraordinaire, syndicated columnist and Kosher food consultant. Ethel has been my mentor and friend for nearly 20 years. We’ve shared many wonderful meals, food stories and culinary bits of wisdom over the years. She has been a special source of inspiration and encouragement.
Ethel grew up in the only Jewish family living on the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland. In that remote corner of the world, she learned firsthand from her late mother how to work with local ingredients to prepare traditional Jewish dishes, yet still follow Kosher guidelines.
Ethel recommends that if you have family members who don’t eat red meat, this turkey recipe is a fine choice for a gala main course. Vegetable oil can be substituted for the chicken fat to keep the cholesterol levels down. This simple, delectable dish is just one of the 350 recipes from Ethel Hofman’s excellent cookbook “Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home.”
1/2 cup crumbled matzoh
2 tbsp. schmaltz or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 lb. boneless turkey breast
2 tbsp. oil
paprika
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover matzoh with warm water and soak for 5 minutes to soften. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat schmaltz in a large skillet. Add onion and apple. Cook over medium heat until onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir matzoh, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper into onion and apples. Spoon stuffing into center of turkey breast. Bring ends together and fasten with metal poultry picks.
4. Brush turkey breast with oil and dust with paprika. Place in a roasting pan and cover with foil.
5. Roast in preheated oven for 1 hour, basting often with pan juices. Turkey is done when juices run clear when pierced at thickest part with a fork. Let stand 5 minutes. Slice and serve hot.
Makes 8 servings.