Recipes: Turkey Tinga and Charred Tomatillo Salsa Recipes (as featured on The Splendid Table)
Turkey Tinga, photo from Elysian Kitchens, photo credit, Kristin Teig
Honey-Glazed Turkey Tinga
From Elysian Kitchens, as featured on The Splendid Table
Brother Pedro Alvarez, a monk from Mexico, introduced this dish to Saint John's. The honey is the monastery's own; the turkey, wild and donated by local hunters. It's comforting in winter and perfect for a summer barbecue.
Serves 4 | Preparation Time: 2½ hours (it’s worth it, promise!)
Ingredients
For the tinga:
2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breasts, cut into six pieces
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Leaves from 5 oregano sprigs, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 5 thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
2 (7-ounce) cans chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped
6 ounces adobo sauce
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
To serve:
16 flour tortillas
Queso fresco, crumbled
Tomatillo Salsa (recipe below)
Sour cream
Avocado chunks
Finely sliced scallions
Directions
Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper and slather with 2 tablespoons honey. Place in an even layer in a slow cooker.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, cocoa, cumin, cayenne, and bay leaf and sauté until aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chipotles in adobo, adobo sauce, tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, stock, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce over the turkey, cover, and cook on low until very tender, about 2 hours.
Transfer the turkey to a plate. Discard the bay leaf. Once cool enough to handle, shred the turkey into bite-size pieces and stir back into the sauce.
Serve in warm tortillas topped with queso fresco, tomatillo salsa, sour cream, avocado, and scallions.
Brother Aelred’s Tomatillo Salsa, photo credit: Jody Eddy
Brother Aelred's Tomatillo Salsa
Makes about 1 quart | Time: 45 minutes
Brother Aelred makes a big batch each fall when the tomatillos and chiles are in season. His tip: char the skins until they're black and blistered. The smoky note really makes it sing.
Ingredients
7 large green chiles (Hatch, Anaheim, or poblano)
3 small green chiles (serrano or jalapeño)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
12 tomatillos
1 small white onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems coarsely chopped
1½ cups chicken stock
Directions
Preheat the broiler.
Brush the chiles with olive oil and season with salt. Arrange on a broiler-safe baking sheet and broil until blistered, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Once cooled, remove the charred skins (they should slip right off), stems, and seeds. Coarsely chop.
Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse. Place in a pot, cover with water by 5 inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender and slightly olive in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of cooking water.
Combine the chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a blender with ½ cup of the reserved water. Blend until a chunky puree forms.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully add the salsa and stock and bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat and simmer to your desired consistency. Season with salt.
Cool to room temperature before serving. Keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.
Recipe excerpted from "Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Spaces" by Jody Eddy. Copyright 2024. Used with permission of W.W. Norton & Company.
Listen & Learn More
In November 2024, The Splendid Table featured Elysian Kitchens and Saint John's Abbey. You can hear me discuss the book, Brother Aelred, the recipes here, and Minnesota in the interview below.
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Read more about Brother Aelred in The Central Minnesota Catholic →
Read more about the Story Feast collaboration with Brother Aelred Senna →
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