Photo source: Food & Wine magazine/ foodandwine.com
Now that we’re back to cooking regular meals and have settled in to our new home, I thought it was about time to get back on top of my recipe posting. I noticed it’s been quite a while since my last recipe post.
Today’s recipe is a GOOD one. We’ve made it three times and every time it’s awesome.
The original recipe for Beer-Braised Tacos is from Food & Wine magazine. As usual, we altered it slightly to make it easier and to cater to two people. Other than that, we made very few changes as this recipe is simply great the way it is. The only minor down side is that the turkey has to ‘braise’ for about an hour – if you’re starving, this isn’t the recipe for you (or it can be you should just have some chips and salsa while you wait).
We made this with a side of black beans and a salad, which kept things pretty healthy. I think it would also be great with a fruit salsa, which we haven’t tried to make yet.
The ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Two 1-pound bone-in turkey thighs or drumsticks, skin and fat removed (We love the drumsticks, they work so well)
- Salt and pepper
- 4 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 onion, diced (you can also cut some for garnish as well)
- 1 oregano sprig
- 1 jalapeño—stemmed, seeded and sliced
- 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
- 1 ancho chile—stemmed, seeded and chopped (we used the can of chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce and used three since they are a lot smaller)
- One cinnamon stick
- One 12-ounce bottle Mexican dark beer (we used the Dos Equis Amber)
- 1 cup water
- Corn tortillas
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs, for serving (we also chopped tomatoes, onions and queso fresco cheese – So good!)
- Use a large enameled cast-iron pan (like a dutch oven or just big soup pot – something with a heavy bottom is best), heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and cook over med-high heat until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the casserole along with the garlic, diced onion, oregano and jalapeño and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened.
- Add the tomato, the chiles and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until the tomato releases its juices.
- Return the turkey to the pan, add the beer and water and bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer over low heat, turning once, until the turkey thighs are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the turkey to a plate and let cool.
- Discard the oregano sprig and cinnamon stick and boil the sauce over high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 12 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake for about 8 minutes, until softened and heated through. Remove the turkey meat and shred it. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and puree. Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the shredded turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the turkey onto the tortillas. Top with minced onion, sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs (and anything else you’d like).
This looks awesome! I wonder if you can braise the turkey in a crock pot. Just turn it on low and let it go for a few hours until dinner time. I am all about the crock pot this time of year.
Yeah, I think you could especially if you crowned everything in a Pam before ( the onions and turkey). Some parts stuck to the Pam bc of the heat so that might help w it.