With around ten million eaten in the UK every Christmas, turkeys remain a festive staple for many.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
The nutritional value of turkey depends to a large extent on the cut. The dark meat tends to have more vitamins and minerals but also more fat and calories than the white breast meat, which contains slightly more protein. Turkey is high in B Vitamins and phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. It can be low in saturated fat and cholesterol if you avoid the skin. Turkey is also loaded with tryptophan, a sleep-inducing amino acid.
RECIPE
Turkey meatballs
- Typical portion size for one to four years: 120g
- Serves: 20
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1½ medium green peppers, deseeded
- 1.1kg minced turkey
- 2 eggs
- 2 large slices white breadcrumbs
- 8 tsps dried parsley
Tomato sauce
- 4 small onions, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 tbsps vegetable oil
- 3 tbsps plain flour
- 2 × 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Method
- Finely dice the onion, garlic and pepper.
- Place the mince in a bowl, add beaten eggs and other meatball ingredients; mix well.
- Roll into balls (size of golf ball), using floured hands.
- For the sauce, chop the remaining onion and garlic.
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add flour, stirring well. Cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat a large pan and cook the meatballs in batches until golden. Arrange these in an ovenproof dish.
- When meatballs have been cooked, add the sauce.
- Bake at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 30 minutes.
Serving suggestions
Serve with white spaghetti, or small pasta shapes.
Recipe adapted from: Elmscot Group
