The sound of gobbling toms and the sight of morels on the forest floor usher in spring across North America. If you’re lucky enough to harvest both, they are an amazing combo on the table.
Our friend Hank Shaw of Hunter Angler Gardener Cook shares this great recipe for turkey cutlets with morels from his wild game cookbook, “Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail.”
Turkey Cutlets with Morels
Serves 4. Prep time: 25 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds turkey breast
- Salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Flour
- 1/3 cup butter
- ½ to 1 ½ pounds fresh morel mushrooms, sliced into disks
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup sherry or bourbon
- ½ cup chives or wild onions, chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- Black pepper to taste
Preparation
Mix the Parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs. Salt the turkey cutlets well, dip them into the beaten eggs, and then dredge them in the breadcrumb-cheese mixture. Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large pan and fry over medium-high heat until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200°F and set a cookie sheet inside; this is to keep your cutlets hot. I also set a rack in the cookie sheet to keep the cutlets crisp.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan and dredge the cutlets in flour. Fry the turkey cutlets in butter until golden brown over medium heat, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move to the rack when done. Don’t let the butter get too hot or it will burn; brown is good, black is not.
When all your turkey is ready, add the morels to the pan. Toss to coat in the remaining butter, and add a little more if you want. Salt the morels, and, when they start to give up their water, add the garlic and thyme. Cook over high heat until the water is almost gone.
Add the sherry, and toss to combine. Add the chives and cream, and bring to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat, add black pepper to taste, and serve. Give everyone some cutlets and pour the morels over.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
