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Turkey breast with red cabbage purée, charred sprouts, lemon-sage crumb, roast potato, soy-mustard mushroom gravy & pomegranate

Poaching the turkey keeps it light, moist, and full of flavour. A simple way to avoid the dryness that sometimes comes with roasting. The red cabbage, green sprouts, and bright pomegranate seeds bring the colours of Christmas to the plate, tied together with a rich soy, mustard mushroom gravy.

Recipe by Jack Stein

Ingredients
–
Serves
4
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Turkey

  • 2 small turkey breasts (about 800 g total)
  • Salt and pepper

Red cabbage purée

  • ½ small red cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp Chinese five spice
  • 150 ml vegetable stock or water
  • Salt and pepper

Charred sprouts

  • 300 g Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Lemon–sage crumb

  • 40 g panko breadcrumbs
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 6 sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch of salt

Roast potatoes

  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt

Soy–mustard mushroom gravy

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small shallot (or 1 garlic clove), finely sliced
  • 200 ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp black vinegar (or balsamic if unavailable)
  • 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water

Garnish

  • 50 g pomegranate seeds

Method

1. Poach the turkey
Season with salt and pepper, wrap tightly in cling film. Heat a large pan of water to 70°C (hot but not simmering). Submerge and poach gently for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove, unwrap and rest 5–10 minutes before slicing.

2. Make the red cabbage purée
Cook onion in olive oil 5 minutes. Add cabbage, apple, vinegar, sugar, five spice and stock. Simmer 35–40 minutes until soft. Blend until smooth, season and keep warm.

3. Cook the sprouts
Heat a dry frying pan until hot. Place sprouts cut-side down to char for 2–3 minutes. Add oil, toss and cook another 2 minutes until tender. Season.

4. Make the lemon–sage crumb
Toast panko in olive oil until golden. Stir in sage, lemon zest and salt.

5. Roast the potatoes
Boil potatoes 8 minutes in salted water. Drain, roughen the edges, toss with oil and salt, and roast at 200°C for 35–40 minutes until crisp.

6. Make the soy–mustard mushroom gravy
Heat oil in a pan, add mushrooms and shallot, cook 5–6 minutes until soft and coloured. Add stock, mustard, soy and black vinegar (or balsamic). Bring to a simmer, stir in cornflour mix and cook 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust. It should be savoury, tangy and glossy.

7. Assemble
Spoon cabbage purée onto plates, add sliced turkey, sprouts and a roast potato. Spoon over gravy, scatter with crumb and pomegranate.

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