Shelly's Recipe

BONELESS TURKEY BREAST MARINATED WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PUREE

Category: Poultry I

1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup boiling water
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp dried thyme and rubbed sage
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp fennel seeds and dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 boneless turkey breast half, about 2 1/4 lbs (skin on or removed, as desired)

Place tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water. Let set until softened, about 30 minutes. Place in a blender or processor with the garlic, thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, basil, salt and pepper. Process until relatively smooth. Slowly add the olive oil to emulsify.

Place the turkey breast in a shallow dish just large enough to hold it. Pour the tomato purée over it and turn to cover both sides. (You can use a large plastic bag. Place turkey and puree in the bag, seal and turn several times to mix all together.) Cover the dish and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Heat covered grill on medium-low heat. Remove turkey from dish and brush off excess marinade. Grill turkey until done, about 40 minutes, depending on thickness (see notes below). Turn every 10 minutes and baste with the tomato puree. Let rest, covered loosely, for 15 minutes before carving and serving. SERVES 4

Notes: If your turkey breast is very thick, you might want to pound it slightly thinner. Otherwise, increase the amount of time needed to cook. The internal temperature of poultry should be 180 degrees. However, when any cooked food rests, there is carryover cooking time, meaning it continues to cook from its own heat to the desired doneness.

I removed my turkey breast from the grill when an instant read thermometer registered 165 degrees, covered it with foil and, after the 15 minutes resting time, it was completely cooked and very moist. The breast could be cooked on an indoor grill over low heat or seared in a pan and placed in the oven 350 for about 1 hour.