Serves 6
Notes
On Sundays, my grandmother Rosa would often make guazzetto with one of the courtyard hens. She would braise it for hours with onions, tomatoes, and herbs, and then dress pasta with it for dinner. This recipe reminds me of Nonna Rosa’s guazzetto, although it is a quicker version and made with turkey. You can store the sauce for a few days in the refrigerator or for a week or two in the freezer. Fresh pappardelle is best in this recipe but dried pasta such as fettuccine or spaghetti is delicious as well.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pot
- 12 turkey breast cutlets (about 2 pounds total), pounded to an even ½-inch thickness
- 12 thin slices prosciutto
- 1 cup grated Grana Padano
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup white wine
- One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Pinch crushed red-pepper flakes
- 1 pound fresh or dry pappardelle
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Lay the turkey cutlets out on a cutting board, and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Fit a slice of prosciutto on each cutlet, folding it in if the prosciutto slice is larger than the turkey cutlet. Sprinkle each cutlet with ½ tablespoon of grated cheese and 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley. Roll the cutlets up, starting on the short side, and secure closed with toothpicks.
Heat a large Dutch oven over -medium–high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Dredge the rolls in flour, and tap off the excess. When the oil is hot, add the rolls, and brown lightly on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes in all. Remove to a plate.
Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add the wine, and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, slosh out the can with 1 cup of water, and add that as well. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering, and season with remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the crushed red pepper. Slide the turkey rolls back into the sauce, and simmer until the rolls are tender and the sauce is flavorful, about 25 minutes.
When the rolls are almost done, start cooking the pasta. Remove the rolls to a plate, but keep them warm. When the pasta is al dente, transfer it with tongs directly to the simmering sauce, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Serve the pasta on a platter, surrounded by the turkey rolls, taking care to remove the toothpicks before serving.
