Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

We got a lot of mileage out of our Thanksgiving turkey this year…After two dinners of straight-up turkey, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup with wild rice, and two more nights of turkey gumbo, we finally had come to the last of our bird. And it was time, I thought, to do something a little less…American.

I had been wanting to try this recipe for chicken enchiladas with red mole, but I thought the turkey would make a good substitute (I’ve read turkey is a more traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine than chicken, anyway, as turkeys are native to Mexico). So, I shredded up the last drumsticks and wings (how did those not get eaten earlier?) and ate some of the last turkey I’m sure I will have in a long time…

BTW, the accompanying soup is a puree of black beans, roasted onion, garlic and tomato, cumin, oregano and creme fraiche (which we had leftover from Thanksgiving, but sour cream or Mexican crema would work, too). If you have an immersion blender, this silky soup is a breeze to make and, as a Mexican side dish, it’s a nice break from the overplayed accompaniment of refried or stewed pinto beans.

Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 8 medium (about 4 ounces total) dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferable Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• a big pinch cumin, preferably freshly ground
• a scant 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or pork lard, if you’ve got it)
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) whole almonds (with or without skins)
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3 plum tomatoes
• a scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces roughly chopped Mexican chocolate
• 2 slices firm white bread , toasted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 10-12 corn tortillas
• 3 cups cooked, coarsely shredded turkey

Method

• Roast the unpeeled garlic directly on a dry heavy skillet over medium heat until soft and blackened in spots, about 15 minutes; cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles on another side of the skillet: 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firly on the hot surface with a spatula; in a few seconds, when they crackle and send up a wisp of smoke, flip them and press down tot toast the other side. In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water
• Combine the oregano, black pepper, cumin and cloves in a food processor or blender, along with the chiles, garlic and 2/3 cup of the broth. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and sitrring every few seconds. If the mixture won’t go through the blender blades, add a little more liquid. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl
• In a medium-size heavy pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil or lard over medium. Add the almonds and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the almonds to a blender or food processor. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop the onions in with the almonds, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Add the raisins, stir for one minute so they puff up, then use the slotted spoon to scoop them in with the almonds
• Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6-8 minutes, then flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, peel and add to the almond mixture in the food processor, along with the cinnamon, chocolate and bread. Add 1 cup of the broth and blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds
• Return the pot to medium-high heat and, if necessary, add a little more oil or lard to coat the bottom lightly. When very hot, add the ancho mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until darker and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add the pureed almond mixture and cook, stirring constantly for another few minutes, until very thick once again. Stir in the remaining 4 1/3 cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-low for 45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and sugar until the mole is slightly sweet and balanced
• In a dry, non-stick skillet over high heat, warm tortillas one at a time until soft and pliable, about 10 seconds per side, and keep covered under a kitchen towel so they stay warm
• To finish the enchiladas, in a medium-size saucepan, combine the turkey with 1 1/2 cups of the mole and warm over medium heat. Bring the remaining mole to a simmer. When you’re ready to serve, quickly make the enchiladas by scooping 2 generous tablespoons of chicken onto a tortilla, rolling it up and placing it on a warm dinner plate, seam side down. Continue making enchiladas, arranging 2 or 3 per plate, then douse them liberally with the mole

 

Crispy Roasted Carnitas with Garlic and Orange Sauce

It’s no secret I love pork…I feel like a majority of the recipes I make include some form of it (bacon, pancetta, country ribs, etc.). So, what could be better than simply seasoned, crispy, juicy roasted pork, served straight up with a light scattering of roasted garlic and jalapenos and moistened with a pan sauce of browned pork drippings and orange juice? Nothing, that’s what.

So I wanted to get a little Mexican in before going classic American for Thanksgiving (a meal I probably won’t be posting about here)…Typically, carnitas–a Mexican preparation of pork commonly found in taquerias as taco or burrito fillings–are fried, giving them a crispy exterior and a moist, chewy interior. To recreate the proper texture of carnitas without frying the pork, which is a whole other time-consuming, messy step, this recipe calls for you to pull the pork roast apart into progressively smaller chunks as it roasts, exposing more surface area to your hot oven and giving the outsides of the final product a good, browned crust.

I served these family-style, with a plate of warmed tortillas, and a Mexican-inspired Caesar salad with a lime zest and serrano chile-spiked dressing, cilantro, garlic croutons and queso anejo, an aged Mexican cheese similar to feta.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

– G

 

Pork Carnitas with Garlic and Orange

Total Time: 4 hrs., 15 min.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• One 3 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder
• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 20 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 3 jalapeños, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Warm corn tortillas, for serving (fresh cilantro sprigs, pickled red onions and diced avocado also would be good)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a roasting pan, rub the pork all over with oil and season with salt, pepper, and ancho chile. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover with foil and roast for 1 hour
• Scatter the garlic cloves and jalapeños around the pork and bake uncovered for 2 hours, rotating the pan after 1 hour. Transfer the garlic cloves and jalapeños to a plate
• Increase the oven temperature to 375°. Cut the pork into 4 thick slices. Using 2 forks, pull the pork into large chunks. Arrange the chunks in the pan, browned sides up. Peel the garlic and add the cloves to the pan. Roast the pork for 30 minutes, until well-browned and crisp. Pull into smaller pieces and roast for 30 minutes longer
• Transfer the pork and garlic to a large platter and scatter the jalapeños on top. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan over moderate heat, add the orange juice and boil, scraping up the browned bits; pour over the pork and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve with tortillas

Chuck Roast Chili with Pinto Beans, Beer and 4 Chiles

Chili was one of the first real meals that I ever learned how to make. My dad and I would make it on the weekends, as it was one of the few dishes he knew how to make (back then, making chili mostly meant opening a bunch of cans and bottles and dumping them in a pot). It definitely influenced my love of cooking, though, and today, chili remains one of my favorite dishes, thanks to its hearty meatiness, its intense spiciness, and its many culinary uses (chili dogs, chili cheese fries, baked potato topping, chili spaghetti, etc.). Typically, we would make chili from ground beef, canned beans and bottled chili powder, but for this recipe, I upgraded to big chunks of chuck roast, dried pinto beans steeped and seasoned in salt water, and a homemade chili paste made from three kinds of dried chiles, along with the requisite cumin and Mexican oregano and the less typical addition of unsweetened cocoa powder. Onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomatoes and beer round out the ingredients, though you can get as creative as you want with the garnishes. Cilantro, red onion, sour cream, avocado, lime wedges, and shredded cheese are all good choices.

Chili 

Total Time: 3 hours (1 hour active)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz. dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
• 3 dried Ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, and flesh torn into 1-inch pieces
• 3 dried New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed, and flesh torn into 1-inch pieces
• 4 dried Arbol chile peppers, stems removed, pods split, seeds removed
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 white onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, flesh cut into ½-inch pieces
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 3 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups lager

Method

• Place 3 tablespoons salt, 4 quarts of water and dried pinto beans in a large pot and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pot from heat, cover and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans
• Place ancho and New Mexico chiles in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; toast, stirring frequently, until flesh is dry and fragrant, 4-6 minutes, reducing heat if chilies begin to smoke. Transfer to bowl of food processor and cool. Add arbol chiles, cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt to food processor with toasted chiles; process until finely ground, about 4 minutes. With processor running, slowly add ½ cup broth until a smooth, thick paste forms, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer to small bowl

• Place onions in now-empty processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Add jalapenos and pulse until consistency of chunky salsa, scraping down bowl as necessary

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until any exuded moisture has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chili paste, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and molasses; stir until chili paste is thoroughly combined. Add remaining 2 cups broth and beans; bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer

• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Add half of beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes

• Transfer meat to Dutch oven. Add half of lager to skillet, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Transfer lager to Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining oil, beef, and lager. Stir to combine and return mixture to simmer

• Cover pot and let simmer until meat and beans are fully tender, about 2 hours. Let chili stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir well and season to taste with salt. Serve with desired condiments