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1
Rinse and dry the breast pieces, and trim off all fat and tendons.
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2
Slice the meat (with the grain rather than across it) in strips roughly 2 inches wide and 4 inches long: you should get ten to fifteen pieces.
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3
Pound thick or uneven pieces, if necessary, with a meat mallet or other heavy flat object, so theyre an even 1/2-to-2/3-inch thick.
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4
Put the strips in a bowl and toss them with the salt, garlic slices, and olive oil.
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5
Let them marinate for at least 15 minutes, preferably 1/2 hour, at room temperature.
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6
Meanwhile, set a rack in the upper third of the ovennearer the top for browningand heat it to 425.
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7
Toss and stir together the bread crumbs, grated cheese, parsley, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the salt until thoroughly blended.
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8
Lightly butter the baking sheet.
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9
When the meat has marinated, lift out a few pieces and pick off the garlic slices.
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10
Drop the strips in the crumbs and roll them around, then pick them up one by one and press the crumbs so they stick to the meat on both sides.
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11
Try my one-hand technique: scoop up a turkey strip and crumbs in the palm of your hand, then close your fingers and squeeze tight.
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12
Lay the coated strips flat on the baking sheet, spaced at least 1/4 inch apart.
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13
If you see bare spots of meat, press on a few of the remaining crumbs.
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14
Drizzle a bit more olive oil on each strip, and put the pan in the oven.
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15
Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the sheet back to front, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown on top and the meat is cooked through but still moist.
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16
Cut a piece open to check doneness: if the crumbs are browning quickly while the meat is still uncooked, set the tray lower in the oven and/or lay a sheet of foil on top of the cutlets.
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17
Dont let them overcook, and move them to a platter as soon as they come out of the oven, so they dont dry out on the hot baking sheet.
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18
Serve hot or warm.
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19
They are still very good reheated, and they make great sandwiches.
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20
From a cooks point of view, the turkey gains in flavor immensely from a short marinating period in olive oil with lots of sliced garlic.
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21
Marinating is a great way of imbuing flavor into meats and fish in a gentle fashion.
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22
When you feel they do not have enough intrinsic flavoring, marinate them even though the recipe might not call for it.
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23
You must give the ingredients enough timeat least 15 minutes to several hours or overnightto have an exchange.
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24
Marinating is also a successful way of introducing new flavors to your family, especially children.
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25
Strong flavors like garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and ginger can be difficult for a finicky eater to take directly, but in marinades they come through in soft dosages.
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26
This is how I develop and train my grandchildrens palates.
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27
The palate communicates information, which is stored in the brain, like a reference library, and becomes a resource for enjoying, recognizing, and preparing food.
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28
It is important that we fill up our reference library so that we can recall information when needed.
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29
There is no stronger memory recall than that of our olfactory sense.
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30
I am sure that all of you at some time or other have been brought back by an overpowering sense of smell to something that seemed lost in memory.
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31
As I describe on page 249, I introduce my grandchildren in their early months to herbs by crushing them under their noses.
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32
I am training their palates and expanding their repertoire of tastes in much the same way I am introducing them here to the gentle infusion of flavors that marinades give.
