Honey-­Glazed Turkey Tinga

Serves: 4 | Preparation time: 2 1/2 hours

Brother Pedro Alvarez, a monk in his mid-­twenties from Mexico, introduced his favorite dish to the monks at Saint John’s. Brother Pedro lived in a Russian Orthodox monastery in Mexico City before relocating to central Minnesota. But this isn’t a recipe he learned at the monastery; he learned it from his grandmother.

As is the case with recipes that travel, this tinga reflects not only its Mexican origins but also its current home in Minnesota. Tinga is typically slow-­cooked, shredded meat—­anything from beef to pork to chicken—­layered with the flavors of chiles, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Brother Pedro replaced the chicken with wild turkey from central Minnesota. None of the monks hunt, but they do welcome the bounty donated to them from hunters in the area. The honey is the monastery’s own and gives the dish a sweetness that provides the perfect counterpoint to the chiles. Tinga is comforting in the winter and fun for a summertime barbecue, too. Brother Pedro’s advice is to “take it slowly, let the house fill with the smoky aroma. It will bring everyone to the table.”

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breasts, cut into six pieces

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 4 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons extra-­virgin olive oil

  Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Spaces Jody Eddy

• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 ribs celery, chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• Leaves from 5 oregano sprigs, coarsely chopped

• Leaves from 5 thyme sprigs

• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 (7-­ounce) cans chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped

• 6 ounces adobo sauce

• 1 (14-­ounce) can chopped tomatoes, undrained

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup chicken stock

To serve:

• 16 flour tortillas

• Queso fresco, crumbled

• Tomatillo Salsa (See below)

• Sour cream

• Avocado chunks

• Finely sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS

Season the turkey all over with the salt and pepper and slather on 2 tablespoons honey. Place the turkey pieces in an even layer in a slow cooker.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-­high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, cocoa, cumin, cayenne, and bay leaf and sauté until aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chipotles in adobo, adobo sauce, tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, stock, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-­low and gently simmer for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the turkey, cover, and cook on low until the turkey is very tender, about 2 hours.

Using tongs, transfer the turkey to a plate. Discard the bay leaf. Once the turkey is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-­size pieces and stir it back into the sauce in the slow cooker until well incorporated.

To serve, top each warm tortilla with a spoonful of the turkey and sauce, sprinkle with queso fresco, tomatillo salsa, sour cream, avocado, and scallions. 

Tomatillo Salsa

Makes: about 1 quart

Preparation time: 45 minutes

7 large green chiles, such as Hatch, Anaheim, or poblano

3 small green chiles, such as serrano 
or jalapeño

1 tablespoon extra-­virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

12 tomatillos

1 small white onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups chicken stock 

Brother Aelred makes a large batch of this salsa each year when the tomatillos and chiles are in season in the monastic garden. Before arriving at Saint John’s, he was a teacher in New Mexico, and this recipe is a nod to that region of America. He typically cans most of his salsa because it’s a welcome reminder of summer during the unrelenting Minnesota winter. If you are canning, feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple the ingredient amounts. Brother Aelred’s main tip is to be sure to char the chile skins until they’re black and blistered because the smoky note in the salsa really makes it sing. Serve the salsa with Honey-­Glazed Turkey Tinga (page 242) or enchiladas, stir it into stews and soups, or use it as a sandwich garnish or a dip for tortilla chips.

Preheat the broiler.

Brush the chiles all over with olive oil and season with salt. Arrange the chiles on a broiler-­safe rimmed baking sheet and broil until they are blistered, about 4 minutes. Flip the chiles over and blister them on the other side, about 4 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer the chiles to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Once the chiles have cooled to room temperature, remove the charred skins using your fingers. They should slip right off; not all the skin has to be removed, only as much as will come off easily. Using a paring knife, remove the stems and seeds and discard. Coarsely chop the chiles; set aside.

Remove and discard the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse them under cold running water to remove the sticky residue. Transfer to a large, heavy-­bottomed pot and pour in enough water to cover by 5 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the tomatillos are tender and their bright green skin has turned slightly olive in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.

Combine the chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a blender or food processor, along with about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, and blend on high speed until a chunky puree has formed, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-­high heat. Carefully add the salsa and stock and bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the salsa to your desired consistency. Season with the salt and cool to room temperature before serving. The salsa will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Excerpted from “ELYSIAN KITCHENS: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Spaces”. Copyright 2024 by Jody Eddy. Used with permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company. All rights reserved.

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