Roasted Turkey and Braised Kefte

The bone in turkey breast is simpler to roast and takes up less refrigerator and oven real estate when planning a feast for the family. Accompanied by tender, herbed, braised turkey kefte you get plenty of gravy to go along with every bite. The kefte are also great on their own for non-holiday dinners - because gravy is a way of life.

Roasted Turkey and Braised Kefte

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 readers

Servings/Yield

6 to 8

Author

Helen Park

Image of Roasted Turkey and Braised Kefte

Ingredients

FOR THE TURKEY BREAST:

1 bone in turkey breast, 4-8 pounds
2 Tbsp Isphahan blend
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp black pepper, ground
Olive oil for roasting

FOR THE KEFTE:

1 pound ground turkey
½ cup mint, roughly chopped
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup dill, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely diced and divided
1 cup breadcrumbs, regular or gluten free
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp Hawayej blend
2 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp black pepper, ground
Olive oil for roasting

FOR THE GRAVY:

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp chickpea flour
1 cup white vermouth
1 Tbsp Isphahan blend
3 cups poultry stock or water

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a heavy-duty roasting pan, generously coat the turkey breast with olive oil and season with Isphahan, salt, and black pepper. Be sure to rub the seasoning evenly all over the breast, top and bottom.
Roast in the oven until nicely browned and cooked through (170°F internal temperature taken from the thickest part of the breast).
While the turkey is cooking, prepare the braised kefte and gravy.
In a large bowl mix the herbs, half of the onion, breadcrumbs, egg, hawayej, 2 teaspoons of salt, and half teaspoon of black pepper. Mix to combine well, careful not to overmix.
Form the turkey and herbs kefte into 20 flattened ovals, approximately 2 tablespoons each.
In a heavy bottomed skillet or dutch oven, roast the kefte in olive oil. Remove them as they are browned and set aside.
In the same pan, cook the remaining half of onion dice, sliced garlic, and one teaspoon of salt, adding more oil as needed.
As the onions soften, scrape any browned bits from the pan.
When the onions are cooked, add the chickpea flour, one tablespoon of Isphahan, and vermouth and reduce by half. Whisk as needed to remove any lumps.
Whisk in the stock, add the kefte back into the pan, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer gently, covered, for 20 minutes
When ready, remove the kefte and transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepot.
When the turkey is cooked, remove it from the roasting pan to rest before carving. Drain off any excess fat from the roasting pan and add in a little water, scaping any brown bits and turkey juices into the saucepan with kefte braising liquid.
Bring the saucepan to boil, whisking to finish the gravy.