Spicy Turkey & Hominy In A Chile Broth

Spicy Turkey & Hominy In A Chile Broth

This is a wonderful recipe that I created to use up left over dark meat turkey. I was quite frankly sick of turkey at this point and wanted something that was light and didn't highlight the turkey itself. The leftover turkey recipes I was finding were at least as heavy and fat laden as the original Thanksgiving dinner itself and seemed beige and unappetizing i.e. tetrazzini, pot pie, shepherd's pie.

This is more or less Posole but I hesitate to call it that until I have a real handle on what a truly authentic version consists of. By toasting, soaking and pureeing a combination of Ancho, Pasilla and Guajillo chilies and adding it to the turkey broth that Manly made out of the carcass a deep, rich yet light soup was created and I barely cared that there was turkey in it. Bonus! This was also an opportunity to use the can of hominy in the back of my pantry. When I opened the can and tasted hominy for the first time I wasn't thrilled. In fact I hesitated to use it at all. However when cooked in this broth for 20-30 minutes it became quite another thing. It adds a very soft mellow corn flavor while acquiring the flavors of the soup itself. I am very glad I ventured to add it.

You can easily swap out the turkey for chicken or leave out the meat altogether. My understanding is that real posole is traditionally made with pork butt that's braised for 2-3 hours so making it this way cuts the prep time and the fat content way down. We were really blown away by this soup and it's definitely worthy of being posted here. The only thing I wish I had had on hand was some avocado. That seemed to be the one thing missing from an otherwise splendid supper. I've suggested traditional garnishes below so that you can pick and choose your favorites. Enjoy!

Recipe: Spicy Turkey & Hominy In A Chile Broth
Recipe by Danielle

Ingredients

2 oz. ancho chilies

1 oz. pasilla chilies

1 oz. guajillo chilies

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups turkey or chicken meat
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
cayenne pepper, optional
5 cups broth or stock

2 garlic cloves smashed

salt and pepper

3 cups broth or stock

1-36.5 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed well

Garnishes

Limes

Cilantro

Red Onion

Pumpkin Seeds, toasted

Avacado, cubed

Sour Cream

Tortilla Strips

Directions

Remove stems and seeds from all of the dried chilies and tear them into large pieces.

Heat a large skillet and add chile pieces. Toast until fragrant being careful not to scorch them. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and jalapeno. Sautee until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add turkey, garlic and seasonings, mix well and simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a dutch oven or soup pot, Add toasted chilies and 5 cups of broth or stock and 2 smashed garlic cloves. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let stand 20-25 minutes or until chilies have softened. In 2 batches add chile/stock mixture to a blender and puree. Strain back into soup pot. Add 3 more cups of broth or stock, turkey mixture and hominy. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.