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.
