Mexican Recipe for Turkey

The mexican way to prepare Turkey (one of them anyways...)

Can we imagine a family Christmas dinner or New Year's without a deliciously roasted turkey? And what about for the dinner of Thanksgiving in the US... turkey has become a traditional necessity! Not known to everybody is that the turkey species has actually originated in North America; many varieties of the domesticated turkey coming from Mexico... Obviously it was after the Spanish conquest of New Spain that the turkeys began to be distributed to the rest of the globe. Interestingly, immediately after Hernan Cortes had conquered Mexico in 1521; already in 1530 we start seeing turkeys in England, Italy, France, Spain and Germany. The Americans thought that this animal was from the country called Turkey, because of a bizarre chain of events; and for this reason the bird was given that name.

As mentioned earlier, before the arrival of Hernan Cortes, the Aztecs and other meso-american cultures had already domesticated the turkey, and of course today this tradition continues in many parts of Mexico. In Mexico, turkey meat has been appreciated for its refined taste since hundreds of years ago and it is still valued as such today. The Aztecs called the turkey huehxolotl; Aztecs didn't waste much from each turkey they ate... the feathers were used for headdresses, cloaks and arrows. During colonial times, turkey feathers were used for writing, as they were very durable and actually easier to get than the pheasant or ostrich feathers. Remember that in Mexico, at the time of the Aztec empire, there had never been chickens in America... Montezuma was an Aztec emperor who was able to live in luxury. Among other things, he had its own zoo and in it were several turkeys, some served as food for the inhabitants of the palace and other services to feed carnivorous animals and birds of prey there. There are many Mexican recipes to prepare turkey, we have already elsewhere mentioned turkey with mole Poblano; so here is a recipe for you to have your turkey in a different way, with a touch of Mexico this holiday season! .

A Recipe for Mexican Style Turkey

Ingredients for 6-8 guests:

For the turkey:

* 1 turkey of 12 to 16 pounds
* 2 ounces garlic
* 6 ounces vegetable oil
* 1 ounce salt

For the adobo sauce:

* 1/2 lb. of ancho chile
* 1/2 lb. guajillo chile
* 1/2 oz chile de arbol
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 1 ounce salt
* 36 oz light beer
* 2 cups water

For the filling:

* 2 lb. of carrots
* 2 lb. potatoes
* 1 pound chorizo sausage
* 1/2 ounce salt
* 2 cups adobo sauce

Preparation:

Preparing the turkey: Thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator and drilled with a small knife. Mash garlic and mix with vegetable oil and salt. With this mixture to marinate the turkey thoroughly inside and out.

For the adobo sauce: Clean the three types of chiles by removing the seeds and stems. Boil them in one liter of water 8 to 10 minutes. Take them out and let them cool down. Blend the chiles, garlic, salt, beer and water using your kitchen blender.

The Stuffing: Peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces and boil 4 to 6 minutes. It is important that the vegetables stay only half-cooked. Strain the vegetables, put them in a bowl and add the salt, the sausage cut into small pieces and some adobo sauce. Mix the ingredients, stuff the turkey completely, tie the turkey legs with a rope and spread a bit of what is left of the adobo sauce over the turkey.

Baking the turkey: Put the turkey in the oven, previously heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for approximately 1/2 hours per pound, as a guide; internal temperature of deepest point of the breast should read 165-170ºF when cooked. To prevent your turkey from drying, every hour spread some adobo sauce over the turkey with a brush or spoon. Half an hour before the turkey is ready increase the temperature to 300 degrees and uncover so that the turkey becomes nicely roasted.