Turkey Enchiladas – Thanksgiving Leftovers #2

Posted by jimphelps on December 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

One of our favorite uses for leftover turkey is to make enchiladas.   A bit fussy to put together but easy to make in large batches.  I have fond memories of Thanksgiving in Oregon (the state) with friends.  Our dinner the second night would always be turkey enchiladas after a day of hiking/biking in the woods.

Recipe: Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups shredded cooked Turkey
  • Enchilada Sauce (about 1/2 recipe below)
  • 1 Cup Sweet Corn Kernels
  • 1/2 Onion – diced
  • 8 ozs Cotija Cheese – grated or finely crumbled
  • 2 (or more) Hot Peppers (like hungarian wax) or a mix of peppers (Anaheim, Poblano, Jalapeno) – diced (see the note below)
  • 2 Cups cooked Black, Anasazi or Pinto beans – drained. (see my bean recipe)
  • 12 Corn Tortillas
  • Canola Oil

Instructions

  1. Pull turkey off the bones. Make it a mix of light and dark meat. Shred it coarsely with your hands then run a knife through it to chop it up some. Don’t mince it fine, just cut it into 1/2″ long pieces. Add it to a bowl.
  2. Add about 1 cup of enchilada sauce and give a taste. It should be wet but not soupy.
  3. Put the corn into a dry non-stick pan and cook over medium high heat until the moisture is evaporated and the corn just begins to brown. The sweet corn that you froze this Summer is perfect for this. Once corn starts to brown, add a tablespoon or two of water to deglaze the pan (get all the cooked on brown caramelized bits off). Add the corn to the turkey.
  4. Return the pan to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of Canola Oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add to the turkey mixture.
  5. Roast the hot peppers over a direct flame or under the broiler until the skin is blackened and has bubbled up all over the pepper. The hotter and faster you do this, the better. Add the peppers to a paper bag to steam and cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, pull the skins off and remove the seeds. Finely mince and add to the turkey mixture. (see the note below).
  6. Assemble the enchiladas:
    1. Set up an assembly line layout for putting together the enchiladas: first cook the tortillas briefly in a little oil to soften, then add the filling (turkey, beans, some cheese) and roll, then into the pan
    2. Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish.
    3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a 8″ non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook 1 tortilla at a time in oil until softened transfer to a work surface.  You will need to keep adding oil to the pan as you go along.  Try to make the tortillas soft but not too oily.
    4. Add a line of turkey (about 1/3 of a cup) to the center of the tortilla. Add some beans (1/4 cup) and some cheese.
    5. Roll the enchilada and place in the pan.
    6. Repeat and tuck the next enchilada close to the first. Repeat until you have rolled all 12 enchiladas.
    7. Top the enchiladas with a little sauce and some cheese.
    8. The enchiladas will hold like this for several hours. Remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature before baking.
    9. To bake, heat the oven to 350F. Put the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and everything is hot and bubbly.

Quick Notes

When hot peppers are on at the market, I buy a bunch. I roast them and cool them then freeze them in zip top bags. Leave the skins on when you freeze them and they will be easy to separate an peel once they have thawed. If you freeze several types, you can use an interesting mix in things like these enchiladas.

Cooking time (duration):90

Number of servings (yield): 6

Meal type: dinner

Just out of the oven, waiting to be plated.


Recipe: Enchilada Sauce

Summary: This sauce takes about an hour to make. You can thin it with stock or broth to make a thinner soupier sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 large Onion, diced
  • 6 cloves of Garlic, minced
  • 1 Jalapeno Pepper, roasted seeded and peeled and minced
  • 1 28oz can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
  • 1 Tbl Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Tbl ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican Oregano
  • 1 Tbl Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 Tbls Buffalo Chipotle Sauce or Chipotles in Adobo (see note below)
  • 2 Tbls Canola Oil

Instructions

  1. Saute onion over medium heat in canola oil until lightly caramelized and translucent (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
  2. Add tomatoes and smash with the back of a spoon or squish with your hands before you put them in. You want the juice and the tomatoes in the pot. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened.
  3. Transfer to a blender and puree. Transfer back to the pot.  You can use an emersion blender just be sure to make everything very smooth.
  4. Add everything else to the pot and mix in well especially the cocoa powder.
  5. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes or so. The sauce will be thick. You can thin it with stock or broth or water if you want.
  6. Taste for salt and spice levels and adjust. It will be quite strong.
  7. You can easily double this and freeze in portions.

Quick Notes

Buffalo Chipotle Sauce is a great sauce with medium heat and a strong smokey flavor. You may see it in your grocery store in the “Mexican” section.  If you use Chipotles in Adobe, use one or two peppers – seeded and minced – and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sauce.

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