Tuscan turkey with fresh pasta: A hearty Italian date-night dish

Lately I’ve been dreaming of Italy…warm temps, rich coffee, to-die-for food, beautiful countryside, and of course, the romance. Now with my mini sous chef still so, well, mini, Italy is off the table for at least a few more years. But that doesn’t mean I can’t bring Italy to my kitchen, right? So I channeled the flavours of Italian cuisine with Chatelaine’s Tuscan turkey with fresh pasta, from the holiday 100+ best recipes book and cooked it for a date night in.

With ingredients like fresh sage, olive oil, white wine (how can a recipe go wrong if it calls for wine?), and prosciutto, I knew this was the perfect for-couples-only meal. Prosciutto pretty much fueled our pre-kid trip to Italy, and eating it always brings back great memories.

The biggest challenge to this recipe? Getting the turkey. And just so you know, turkey scallopini also goes by the name “turkey cutlets” – a little lesson from a kind butcher who took pity on me after I raced in, kid on hip, having already been to three stores without luck.

Now based on the photo I thought this recipe might need some focus, with the meat and sage rolled together just so. So on went the TV to help keep the wee one occupied. But once I actually read through the steps (yes, reading the instructions is always a good place to start), I realized this could be one of the quickest and easiest recipes to prepare yet. And thankfully, it was. Because it was one of those nights where dinner had to take a backseat to mommy duties.

To prepare the meat you cut the turkey pieces in half, put two sage leaves on top of each piece and then wrap the prosciutto around each cutlet. Once assembled, the turkey prosciutto wraps go into an oiled frying pan until cooked, which took only a few minutes per side. While the fresh pasta boiled I made the sauce in the same frying pan with wine, broth, and butter. Three ingredients, that’s it. Four minutes later the meal was ready and the wine was poured. From fridge to plate, this was a 15-minute meal.

The husband declared this dish his favourite so far, and I have to agree. It was beyond tasty and will definitely make it into our regular repertoire. Especially on those nights when we’re feeling the wanderlust…

Try the recipe: Tuscan Turkey with Fresh Pasta