Stuffed Turkey Breast

Not every family needs, or even wants, a whole turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving. Using just the breast is economical in terms of cooking times, taste and simplicity with none of the stress associated with preparing and roasting a whole bird.

Feel free to vary the stuffing, it's just a suggestion and any part of it could be substituted.

This feeds four (at least):

• 1 skinless turkey breast fillet (around 1kg)
• 1/2 cup of couscous
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• small pat of salted butter (to flavor the couscous)
• 1 French shallot, finely chopped
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp cumin
• 50g unsalted pistachios, chopped
• 1tbs quince paste
• 1tbs chopped coriander (cilantro)
• a little oil for cooking

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F

Make the couscous first by pouring the boiling water over the grains and stirring in the butter. Leave this to soak for 5 or 10 minutes and fluff up with a fork at the end of that time.

Put some oil in a pan and cook the shallot until soft and then add the spices. Stir for one minute to allow the flavors to develop. Remove from the heat and stir in the pistachios, quince paste and coriander. Add this mixture to the couscous and combine thoroughly. That's the stuffing done.

If you look at the underside of the turkey breast (the bit where the skin never was) you'll see a natural pocket formed by a strip of meat called the tenderloin. Carefully tease this open so that it remains attached on one side and fill the hollow with the stuffing. Ease the tenderloin back and tie it in place with kitchen string. Make your ties about 2.5cms (1 inch) apart.

Wipe the turkey with olive oil and place on a rack over a roasting pan. Roast uncovered for about 40 minutes. Test for doneness by making a small incision in the thickest part of the roast with a sharp knife. The flesh should be perfectly opaque. If it is at all shiny, pour a little hot water in the pan and return the turkey to the oven for a further 10 minutes. The water is simply to add humidity to the oven and help stop the turkey from drying out.

After cooking, cover the turkey in kitchen foil and allow it to stand at kitchen temperature for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving into thin slices across the grain.

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