Smoked paprika turkey baguette with crushed avocado and pickles

Name: Smoked paprika turkey baguette with crushed avocado and pickles
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Israeli and Mediterranean
Ingredients: 200 g Bread (baguette or country loaf) (2 × 20 cm sections of a large pareve baguette, about 100 g each; freeze the rest); 240 g Turkey breast escalopes (150 g each) (2 × 120 g escalopes, or 1 large escalope cut in half, flattened to 6–8 mm by a kosher butcher); 220 g Avocados (1 whole ripe avocado, about 150 g flesh, yielding to gentle thumb pressure); 80 g Gherkins / small pickled cucumbers (4 small brined Israeli pickles (hamutzim), about 20 g each, drained); 40 g Red onions (¼ red onion); 10 g Flat-leaf parsley (a small handful of leaves); 40 g Lettuce (Batavia, oak leaf or iceberg) (4 leaves, washed and checked); 60 g Lemon (½ lemon, about 25 g juice: the zest and 1 tsp juice for the marinade, 2 tsp juice for the onion and 2 tsp for the avocado); 5 g Garlic (1 clove, grated); 12 g Extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp for the marinade, none in the pan, and a drizzle (2 g) added uncooked to the avocado); 3 g Smoked paprika (1 generous tsp); 0.5 g Ground cumin (1 pinch); 12 g Hot Dijon-style mustard (2 heaped tsp); 5 g Harissa (1 tsp; ½ tsp for a mild heat); 3.5 g Fine salt (2.5 g for the turkey, about 1%, 0.5 g for the onion and 0.5 g for the avocado); 0.5 g Ground black pepper (2 pinches)

35 min20 min hands-on easy2/5meat711 kcalLighter version available

light lunchserved coldLighter version available

An Israeli sandwich-counter favourite: thin turkey escalopes marinated with smoked paprika, garlic and lemon, fork-crushed avocado, brined pickles, marinated red onion and harissa mustard, in a baguette toasted in the pan juices.

Ingredients for two

200 g	Bread (baguette or country loaf) 2 × 20 cm sections of a large pareve baguette, about 100 g each; freeze the rest
240 g	Turkey breast escalopes (150 g each) 2 × 120 g escalopes, or 1 large escalope cut in half, flattened to 6–8 mm by a kosher butcher
220 g	Avocados 1 whole ripe avocado, about 150 g flesh, yielding to gentle thumb pressure
80 g	Gherkins / small pickled cucumbers 4 small brined Israeli pickles (hamutzim), about 20 g each, drained
40 g	Red onions ¼ red onion
10 g	Flat-leaf parsley a small handful of leaves
40 g	Lettuce (Batavia, oak leaf or iceberg) 4 leaves, washed and checked
60 g	Lemon ½ lemon, about 25 g juice: the zest and 1 tsp juice for the marinade, 2 tsp juice for the onion and 2 tsp for the avocado
5 g	Garlic 1 clove, grated
12 g	Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp for the marinade, none in the pan, and a drizzle (2 g) added uncooked to the avocado
3 g	Smoked paprika 1 generous tsp
0.5 g	Ground cumin 1 pinch
12 g	Hot Dijon-style mustard 2 heaped tsp
5 g	Harissa 1 tsp; ½ tsp for a mild heat
3.5 g	Fine salt 2.5 g for the turkey, about 1%, 0.5 g for the onion and 0.5 g for the avocado
0.5 g	Ground black pepper 2 pinches

Method

If the escalopes are more than 8 mm thick, flatten to 6–8 mm between two sheets of baking paper using the base of a saucepan. Pat dry with kitchen paper. In a shallow bowl, mix 1 tbsp olive oil, the smoked paprika, grated garlic, cumin, finely grated zest of the half lemon, 1 tsp of its juice, 2.5 g salt and the pepper. Turn the escalopes in this red paste to coat thoroughly and marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
While they marinate, cut the red onion into very thin rings and mix with 2 tsp lemon juice and 0.5 g salt: within 10 minutes it will become bright pink and pliable. Slice each pickle lengthways into 3 slices, pick the parsley leaves and dry the lettuce. Mix the mustard and harissa. Roughly mash the avocado flesh with a fork in a bowl with 2 tsp lemon juice, 0.5 g salt and a drizzle of uncooked olive oil, leaving it chunky and bright green. Split the baguette sections lengthways, keeping the halves attached.
Heat the dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until a drop of water sizzles immediately; the oil in the marinade is enough. Lay the escalopes flat and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes 30 seconds: the undersides should be brick red and release easily. If the paprika smokes or blackens, lower the heat. Turn and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Remove when a thermometer inserted from the side into the centre of the meat reads 70–72°C: the juices should run clear and the flesh be white and firm. Rest on a plate under a sheet of foil for 3 minutes: the centre will reach 74°C.
If any cooking residues have blackened, wipe the pan with kitchen paper. Reduce to a low heat and toast the opened baguette sections one at a time, cut side down, for 1 minute each, pressing with a spatula, until the crumb is golden, crisp and reddened by the paprika juices. Turn off the heat. Thinly slice the turkey across the grain, then toss in its resting juices until glossy.
Spread both cut faces of each baguette section with harissa mustard. Fill the bottom with lettuce, then turkey, pickles, drained red onion and parsley, finishing with the crushed avocado under the top. Close, pressing gently, and serve one sandwich per person. To take away, leave the turkey flat and uncovered to cool for 10 minutes before filling, then assemble as described in the tips.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.

Lighter version

How the taste changes:

Cucumber adds fresh crunch, while the avocado layer is thinner and less creamy. Turkey, mustard and harissa take up more of the smaller sandwich, with less mild avocado to round out their seasoning.

Bread (baguette or country loaf) : 140 g
Extra virgin olive oil : 5 g
Avocados : 110 g
add Cucumbers 100 g (1 Israeli cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways)

In step 1, use only ½ tbsp oil in the marinade. In step 2, first cut 2 × 70 g baguette sections, 14 cm long rather than 20 cm, mash half an avocado without adding uncooked oil and thinly slice the cucumber.

In step 5, tuck the cucumber slices between the lettuce and turkey.

The same turkey, marinade and harissa mustard, with less bread and avocado and more crunch. Keep the other half of the avocado for the next day, with the stone in place and cling film pressed onto the surface.

On your plate

Recipe

711 kcal · protein 40 g · carbs 55 g · fat 33 g

Quantities per person

100 g Bread (baguette or country loaf)
120 g Turkey breast escalopes (150 g each)
110 g Avocados
40 g Gherkins / small pickled cucumbers
20 g Red onions
5 g Flat-leaf parsley
20 g Lettuce (Batavia, oak leaf or iceberg)
30 g Lemon
2.5 g Garlic
6 g Extra virgin olive oil
1.5 g Smoked paprika
0.25 g Ground cumin
6 g Hot Dijon-style mustard
2.5 g Harissa
1.75 g Fine salt
0.25 g Ground black pepper

Cooking tips

To take away, prepared that morning, allow an extra 10 minutes, about 45 minutes in total, for the turkey to cool. Spread both cut faces with harissa mustard to form a barrier. Put lettuce on the bottom, then the cooled turkey, pickles, onion and parsley, the well-lemoned avocado and a second lettuce leaf beneath the top to keep the avocado away from the bread. Wrap tightly in baking paper, put in a container and keep chilled during transport with an ice pack. Better still, take the avocado in a small pot with cling film pressed onto its surface and spread it at mealtime to keep the bread crisp. For an amba version, replace the harissa with 1 tsp amba, as at a shawarma counter.

Equipment : 24 cm non-stick or cast-iron frying pan, spatula, chopping board and knife, bowl and fork, fine grater for the zest and garlic, kitchen paper, baking paper and foil, kitchen thermometer

An Israeli sandwich-counter baguette with brined pickles and a spicy condiment, filled with grilled-style turkey marinated in smoked paprika.

Smoked paprika turkey baguette with crushed avocado and pickles

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On your plate

Recipe

Cooking tips

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