Mexican Mole-Style Turkey Chili
Yep. This is what you were eatin' today pards. For those culinary artiste's of you who thought it didn't look or taste like ma's chili ... right again. Ya otta get out more. /Snakey
Mexican mole, a traditional sauce for turkey enriched with unsweetened chocolate, inspired this rich chili of shredded turkey. The turkey is first stewed with chilies and aromatic ingredients; then its meat is shredded, and the sauce is finished with a little bitter baking chocolate -- the kind available in the baking section of any supermarket. Don't be put off by the idea of adding chocolate to a main course; remember: It isn't sweetened, and acts as an enrichment and subtle flavoring.
| 1/4 cup vegetable oil | 2-1/2 cups chicken broth |
| 2-1/2 pounds turkey hind quarters | 3 tablespoons dried leaf oregano |
| salt | 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin |
| 2 medium-size garlic cloves, finely chopped | 2 bay leaves |
| 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped | 1/4 cup sesame seeds |
| 2 fresh green Anaheim chilies, stemmed and finely chopped | 1 tablespoon sesame oil |
| 2 yellow chilies, stemmed and finely chopped | 1/2 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate |
| 4 dried Anaheim chilies, toasted, stemmed and seeded | 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish |
| steamed rice, to serve |
In a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-heat. Season turkey with sale and pepper and brown evenly on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set turkey aside and pour off half the fat from the pot. Add garlic, onion and fresh chilies, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Return turkey to pot. In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, put dried chilies, half the broth, oregano, cinnamon and cumin; process until chilies are pureed. Add to pot with remaining broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until turkey is very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove turkey from pot and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, boil contents of pot until liquid is reduced by about half, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves. When turkey is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones. With your fingers, tear meat into course shreds and return to pot. In a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat, sauté sesame seeds with sesame oil until seeds turn golden, less than 1 minute. Ladle about 1 cup of liquid from pot and pout carefully into skillet with sesame seeds. Add chocolate and stir until it melts. In a blender or food processor, carefully puree sesame-chocolate mixture. Stir into pot. Garnish with cilantro and serve over steamed rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Updated: 06/04/2004