turkey milanese and pea risotto

Spring: when everything is green.

Including your food!

Fresh herbs are coming back, spring onions, the last of the winter greens. The trees are budding, the grass is bright, and – finally – the sky is blue! All the drab, winter gray is gone and spring is heading in, quickly.

And when everything outside is turning green, it makes me ready for bright, green, light, fresh food. I love a good hearty stew or casserole in the dead of winter, but once the weather turns, my appetite changes. That turkey meatball tortilla soup I made in January? Amazing. Still one of our favorite from the last couple of months. And this recipe is high up on the favorites list, too.

Working with Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White this year has helped me branch out in my turkey dishes. I think most people only think of turkey for Thanksgiving and turkey burgers, but you can do anything with turkey! Plus, it never breaks the budget.

With Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White turkey, you know that you can shop smart without sacrifice. From their whole birds on holidays to ground turkey to turkey sausages and more, Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White turkeys (which are never raised with growth-promoting antibiotics) are sold at a price comparable to the same products from conventionally raised turkeys. I mean, you can’t get much better than that! Good food, at a good price – that’s what everyone needs and wants. Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White are our local brands, and all their turkeys are raised on 700 independent family farms, which is pretty cool. And I’ve seen the farms! Well, not all 700, but I’ve been to a few.

These families are doing important work to help feed mine and yours – and working to provide not only a healthy option, but also one that is affordable. Check out 700Reasons.com for more info on the farms, the farmers, and the turkeys – you can even thank a farmer!

One thing that Nick and I both love is breaded turkey cutlets, but I don’t make them nearly enough. I wanted to take one of our classic favorites with turkey cutlets and turn it up a notch for one of our first warm-weather meals of the year.

Have you made milanese? I know it sounds fancy, but it’s so simple! Basically, it just means that it’s coated in flour or breadcrumbs and browned in oil or butter. Easy, right? And also – delicious.

These turkey cutlets were coated in flour, then egg, then some spiced up panko. Browned in a little bit of olive oil and kept warm in the oven while I finished the bright green spring pea risotto.

You really can’t go wrong with golden brown, crispy turkey and a creamy, sweet risotto, right? This plate is basically screaming SPRING. What are you waiting for?!

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Turkey Milanese and Pea Risotto

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Turkey cutlets take your normal milanese to the next level. The golden, crispy coating is a perfect contrast to the tender turkey and creamy risotto, and the bright lemon juice and parsley help keep everything light in this spring-y green dish.

Ingredients:

Turkey:

• 1 package Shady Brook Farms turkey cutlets (4 cutlets)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Risotto

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4-5 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 cups steamed green peas, divided
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 

Directions:

1. Open the package of turkey cutlets and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a skillet over medium heat.
3. Place a medium-large pot over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and then add in the arborio rice, stirring to the coat the rice in the oil. Add in 1 cup of broth and bring the mixture to a medium simmer. Let most of the broth cook into the rice, then keep adding 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and creamy (using more broth than called for, if needed). While the risotto cooks, start working on the turkey.
4. Pour the flour onto one plate. In a medium shallow bowl, add the eggs and beat. In a separate bowl, mix the panko with the salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder. Toss together. Line up the plates - flour, eggs, panko - and get ready to bread.
5. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan and let it heat through while you bread the first two cutlets.
6. Take one cutlet and coat with the flour. Then add the turkey to the eggs, turning to coat. Finally, toss a couple of times in the panko mixture, pressing the crumbs to stick if needed. Once the first 2 cutlets are coated, add them to the hot pan.
7. Cook the turkey about 3-5 minutes on the first side until golden brown, then flip and brown on the opposite side.
8. Let the turkey cook for another 4-6 minutes or until they are golden on both sides and cooked mostly through. Remove from the pan and repeat with the last 2 cutlets.
9. Once all the turkey is cooked, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm while the risotto finishes cooking.
10. Once the rice is cooked, take the risotto off the heat.
11. Pour 1 cup of the steamed peas into a blender with 1/4 cup of water and puree until smooth. Stir the pureed peas and the remaining cup of whole peas into the risotto, along with the parmesan cheese and pepper.
12. To serve, spoon some risotto on a plate and top with one turkey cutlet. Squeeze some fresh lemon over the dish and add some fresh parsley.

I’m excited to be working with Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White as a brand ambassador this year! As always, all recipes and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support us!