The Strazzanti Boxing Day Turkey Club Sandwich

All Recipes
SERVES 2

For the Turkey:

  • Approx 300g Cooked Turkey Meat (Chunks of breast)
  • 50g Coarse Dried Breadcrumbs
  • ½ tsp Dried Mint
  • ½ tsp Dried Oregano
  • ½ tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
  • ¼ tsp Fine Sea Salt
  • 20g Finely Grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 x Large Egg
  • Sunflower Oil

For the Sandwich:

  • 2  x Whole Tomatoes
  • 1 x Baby Gem Lettuce
  • Full Fat Mayonnaise
  • 4 x Slices of Caciocavallo Cheese (or your favourite melting cheese)
  • 4 x Slices of Bread (your favourite bread)

When you have all that Turkey leftover and you don’t quite fancy another full blown roast dinner, what do you do with your leftover turkey? We have a tradition in the Strazzanti household that we have to create a new sandwich each year on boxing day with the leftovers. Last year Dad created the Strazzanti Boxing Day Turkey Club Sandwich.

Inspired by 2 things, his favourite sandwich when home in Sicily with cotoletta alla palermitana and the classic turkey club sandwich held together with cocktail sticks.

The cotoletta alla palermitana is usually veal or chicken coated in a seasoned breadcrumb and fried to golden perfection. Dad and now us grew putting any leftover cotoletta from the big batch Nonna would make inbetween 2 thick slices of sesame seed toasted bread with sharp salty pecorino cheese slices inside.

With the addition of crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, creamy lemony mayonnaise and melting mild soft cheese this is the perfect hybrid for an indulgent boxing day leftover turkey sandwich.

Method

To start, cut thick chunks of turkey breast from the leftover cooked turkey and leave to one side in the fridge covered.

Next, prepare your seasoned breadcrumbs. Mix together in a bowl the breadcrumbs, dried mint, oregano, chilli, salt and grated cheese. Once mixed well, transfer the seasoned breadcrumbs onto a large plate.

Take the egg and crack it into a bowl and whisk well with a fork.

Place the cooked turkey chunks into the whisked egg making sure the turkey chunks are fully coated. Shake off any excess egg and then place the turkey into the seasoned breadcrumbs again making sure they are fully covered in breadcrumbs and firmly pressed on.

Tip* This can get a little messy, so it is always good to do this with 2 people if possible. 1 person dips in the egg and the other the breadcrumbs.

Take a large frying pan and on a medium heat begin to heat up the pan. Add in a good 2 tbsp of sunflower oil and once heated gently fry the breadcrumbed turkey until golden brown.

Once golden and thoroughly reheated in the centre, transfer the turkey to a baking tray, place the sliced cheese on top of the turkey pieces and place under the grill until the cheese is melted.

Tip* If you prefer you can also cook the turkey in the oven at 180 degrees fan assisted for around 10 minutes with a drizzle of oil.

To assemble the sandwich, lightly toast the bread and smoother both sides with mayonnaise, place the cheese baked breadcrumbed turkey chunks on next and top with slices of tomato and lettuce. Squidge down and hold together with cocktail sticks.

Tip* Remember to season the tomatoes and lettuce with salt and a touch of olive oil before placing on the sandwich.

Buon appetito!

Discover more ways to use your leftover turkey with our Pastina in Brodo, Christmas Edition recipe.

Share your experience & creations on your Instagram feed & stories: Tag us @strazzanti_co #strazzantiandfriends #eatlikeasicilian

[shop_messages]