Thanksgiving leftovers....Pozole, anyone?

Post-thanksgiving, its time for turkey-brain. I stood before the first ever turkey I roasted, wondering what to do with the all the leftover meat. I couldn't believe that we had company for dinner and yet, the turkey looked just the same in volume as it did before dinner! In our family the bird will probably last several (really, several!) more meals. 

Yesterday I managed turkey bánh mì sandwiches. Easy, really, I soaked up chopped leftover turkey in a marinade of mayo and sriracha. Then the usual  bánh mì toppings went on top of the turkey, on freshly baked bread. It was simply heavenly. But as I mentioned earlier, I had turkey-brain, no ideas appeared after that. 

Then this morning hubby who was still in full control of his intelligence, despite the turkey intake, suggested a pozole. I must say, it was a great idea. The pozole, as it bubbled away filled the house with a beautiful aroma. The taste was great; in spite of being a die hard pork fan, I loved turkey in the pozole.

Leftover Turkey Pozole

3-4 ancho chillies
Salt
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped

1 can white hominy, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups leftover turkey, shredded
2 whole cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tbsp oregano
cilantro
3 cups water or stock (to start with)

Topping:
Cilantro (finely chopped)
spring onion (finely chopped)
avocado (chopped)
lime (quartered)
Red radishes (thinly sliced)
Cabbage (thinly sliced)

In a dry pan, roast 2 cloves garlic till they get slightly brown spots. keep aside. Then roast the ancho chillies, till they start blistering. Pour water in the pan, and let the chillies soak. Add the 4 roughly chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of oregano and salt, then puree the soaking chillies etc., along with the liquid. Strain the puree through a sieve

Meanwhile in a pot, throw in hominy, turkey, bay leaf, ground cumin, oregano and roasted garlic. Pour water or vegetable stock over it. Let it come to a boil. Add the strained chili puree. Let the soup boil for a bit, adding water if necessary. Salt to taste, add cilantro.

To serve, salt the toppings, add to the pozole. This tastes yummy with tortillas or over tostadas.

Potato Carrot Corn Soup

It has been snowing incessantly since yesterday. Its surprising since its not even November and it looks like winter has made its announcement. Early announcement. I have never seen such an early snowstorm. But then again this is a different year. A lot of things have happened, a new turn in my life, a move.


About 7000 ft above sea level here and its cold, cold, cold..

So I think its time for some soup and hot bread. I have lots of potatoes in my fridge, so what better than a warm comforting bowl of potato soup?

1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 yellow onion
3-4 garlic pods
3 russet potatoes
1 cup white corn
2 tbsp olive oil
vegetable stock (optional)
handful of parsley

I like to make my soups in a dutch oven, very conducive to slow cooking for a long time. Fry the onions in the oil, when the onions turn golden, add the carrots and garlic. Add a little salt and freshly ground pepper. When the carrots soften, add water, then potatoes.
When the potatoes are cooked, I used a hand blender in the pot to blend the ingredients. Then add some more water/vegetable stock, add the parsley and the corn and salt to taste.
Add cream if you like before you serve. I added lots of cracked pepper.

Hmm, tastes great with warm bread.

A wonderful treatment for the cold blues.