Turkey Breast with Bigoli Pasta and Giblet-Foie Gras Sauce Recipe
Charlie Trotter — The Cuisine of Illinois. Total time: more than 2 hours. Preheat oven at 150° C (300° F). Prep. time: 30 minutes. Cooling time for pasta: 3 hours. Cooking time for giblet: 3 hours. Cooking time for turkey: 3 hours. Difficulty: Easy. Chef's Note: Sometimes it's fun to pair something clean, simple and straightforward, like turkey breast, with something rich and opulent, like foie gras and variety meats, to produce a stunning flavor contrast. Here, toothsome bigoli create a memorable stage for the turkey, providing an element that is more about texture than flavor. Lightly wilted spinach adds a necessary foil for the other richer, fuller components. Pig's feet or tails would also be a welcome addition. Sommelier: The giblet-foie gras sauce constitutes the richest component to contend with in this dish, and a fleshy Pinot Noir would handle it well. Choose a style that exhibits plump fruit without big tannin, which would overpower the succulent turkey meat, or unripe acidity, which would fight with the spinach. California's Étude Pinot Noir from Carneros is one that will shine.
Ingredients
| 3.6 kg / 8 lb. | small Turkey, with giblets | |
| 1 | clove of garlic | |
| 6 | sprigs of thyme | |
| — | Salt and pepper | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | olive oil |
| 250 ml (1 cup) | coarse salt (crystals) | |
| — | Grapeseed oil for the giblets | |
| 2 | cloves of garlic (sauce) | |
| 125 ml (1/2 cup) | finely chopped Spanish onion | |
| 4 | sprigs of thyme (sauce) | |
| 1 | sprig of rosemary | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 150 g (5 oz.) | foie gras, trimmed and deveined | |
| 250 ml (1 cup) | chicken stock | |
| 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) | flour (pasta) | |
| 2 | eggs + 1 yolk | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | milk |
| 1.5 tbsp | 23 ml | butter (pasta) |
| 1.5 tbsp | 23 ml | grainy mustard |
| 500 ml (2 cups) | baby spinach | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | butter (spinach) |
Instructions
To prepare the giblets
- Cover the giblets with the coarse salt and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 150° C (300° F). Rinse the salt from the giblets, place in an ovenproof pan, and cover with grape seed oil.
- Add the garlic, onion, 4 sprigs of the thyme, the rosemary, and the bay leaf.
- Cook in the oven for 3 hours, or until tender. Cool the giblets in the oil and chop coarsely.
To prepare the turkey
- Preheat the oven to 160° C (325° F). Place the garlic bulb and the 6 sprigs of thyme in the cavity of the turkey. Season the cavity and the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.
- Brush the turkey with the olive oil and roast, basting occasionally, for 3 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 76° C (170° F). Let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the breast from the bone, and cut into twelve 6 mm (1/4") thick slices.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Reserve the remaining parts for another use.)
To prepare the foie gras
- Season the foie gras with salt and pepper. Place in a hot sauté pan and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until just cooked. Cool to room temperature and cut into small dice.
To prepare the sauce
- Place the meat stock reduction into a small saucepan and add the foie gras and giblets. Warm over medium heat just prior to serving.
To prepare the bigoli pasta
- Place the flour, eggs, egg yolk, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, and the mustard in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until incorporated.
- Knead the pasta into a ball, wrap airtight with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 hours. Extrude the dough from a pasta machine using the largest spaghetti setting.
- Cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and place in a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook for 1 minute, add half of the giblet sauce, and season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the spinach
- Place the spinach in a sauté pan with the remaining 1 tbsp. butter and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly
- Arrange some of the spinach and pasta in the center of each plate.
- Place 3 slices of the turkey over the pasta and spoon the giblet sauce around the plate. Top with freshly ground black pepper.