1. 17 November 2009 · 06:47 PM · 5 notes

    Taco 009: Classic Ground Turkey With Guajillo


    image: Oleai’s Tacos by Kevinv033

    I am going to call these “red sauce” turkey tacos. Firstly, because they have something of a red sauce, yes, but also “red sauce” in the sense that we talk about those old school Little Italy type Italian restaurants as being “a red sauce joint.” People keep going to those restaurants not because they are the vanguard of cuisine - or even always very good - but because they turn out reliable, comfortable favorites. A type of food that, while it certainly has an Italian accent, is at this point fundamentally American. This taco is like that. A comfortable classic that has Mexican origins, but has become a staple of the Great American Menu.

    I adapted this recipe from my very favorite taco cookbook, Tacos by Mark Miller. He uses ground beef and I suppose you could too. This is the first time we have used crispy taco shells on the blog and I did think the crunch added something to this dish as well as being kind of fun.

    Classic “Red Sauce” Ground Turkey with Guajillo Chile Tacos - Adapted from Tacos by Mark Miller.

    INGREDIENTS
    1 tbs vegetable oil
    1 clove garlic, minced
    3 smallish tomatoes, diced*
    5 dried guajillo chiles
    1 large serrano chile, stemmed and diced
    1 tbs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
    1/2 tsp cumin seed
    1/2 tsp dried oregano
    3 tbs water
    1 lb ground turkey breast
    1 lime, juice of
    crispy yellow corn shells
    grated cheddar cheese
    shredded lettuce


    PROCEDURE
    1. Rehydrate your chiles. This will take some time, so be prepared. Put them in a wide, shallow bowl. In your teakettle, boil some water, and then pour enough over the chiles to submerge them. Weight them with something on top to keep them fully under water. It will smell delicious! Hang out for a while. Once they are soft and pliable again, remove the stem and finely chop.
    2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add all ingredients listed above from garlic to water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook this mixture until it is the consistency of a thick, very chunky marinara sauce. (See, again, it’s like I said at the top!)
    3. Put the turkey in and mash the whole mess about. Turn the heat to high and cover with a lid. Let it cook about 10 minutes until it is thoroughly cooked.
    4. Remove from heat and add the lime juice. Serve immediately in a crunchy shell, topped with lettuce, cheese, and your favorite salsa.


    *Remind me I want to talk about tomatoes sometime soon. I am really lucky to still find them in the farmers market at this time of year, but I worry that you might not be so privileged.

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