Quick Dinner: Turkey Marsala

Let me say this right now: for the most part, my Safeway sucks. You have to constantly check expiration dates on everything from milk to bread to canned goods (I once found a year old loaf of bread on their shelves...no lie!), their produce is sub-par (and often filled with pesky fruit flies), and the never seem to have particular cuts of meat that I want.

One of my favorite proteins is turkey breast cutlets. They're very easy to cook...and very versatile. But Safeway rarely has them in stock. The other day, I saw a few packages in the poultry section and I snatched them up.

There's so much you can do with turkey breast cutlets--here's a quick, easy, yummy recipe that should be a family-pleaser:

Turkey Marsala

• One package of turkey breast cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (use whatever you like--I used criminis)
• 2 tsp dried thyme
  
• 1/3 cup marsala
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1-2 Tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (optional!)

1. Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a non-stick skillet.
   
2. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge turkey cutlets in flour and tap to remove excess.
3. When oil is hot, add flour-coated turkey cutlets to the pan and cook until turkey is no longer raw, about 4 minutes or so per side (more if you like it browned and a bit crunchy!).
4. Place cooked turkey on a plate and cover with foil.
5. Add a little more oil to your pan (or just spray it with Pam if you don't want to add the fat) and add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
   
6. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook the vegetable mixture until mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes.
7. Pour the marsala and chicken broth into the pan, stirring to get up any cooked on bits that may be at the bottom of the pan. Add the juice of the lemon and stir well. Allow the mixture to cook over high heat to reduce a bit.
8. Add the butter to the marsala/mushroom mixture. This will help thicken up the sauce.
9. Return the turkey cutlets to the pan (be sure to pour in any juices that accumulated) and heat through.
10. Sprinkle parsley over the turkey and serve immediately.