serves
8
prep
20 minutes
cook
3 hours
difficulty
Mid
serves
8
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
3
hours
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 1 x 2–3 kg turkey, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 tbsp salt
- 250 ml (1 cup) bitter orange juice (see Note)
- 2 tbsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 10 Mexican bay leaves
- 8 fresh large red chillies
- 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 4 onions, sliced
Habanero salsa
- 50 ml bitter orange juice (see Note)
- 3 green habanero chillies, chopped
- salt
To serve
- 500 g corn tortillas, warmed
Instructions
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium and add garlic bulbs. Dry-roast for 8-10 minutes or until charred on bases. Reserve.
Place the turkey pieces, garlic and salt in a deep 30 cm saucepan and add enough water to cover. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours or until tender. Remove the turkey from the stock and reserve.
Preheat a chargrill over medium. Combine orange juice, oregano, pepper and bay leaves and brush mixture over the cooked turkey. Chargrill the turkey pieces for 5–8 minutes on each side or until lightly coloured. As each piece is ready, return them to the stock.
Place the fresh chillies on the chargrill and cook for 5 minutes, turning, until softened. Reserve.
Meanwhile, prepare the salsa by grinding all ingredients together in a mortar and pestle.
Heat vegetable oil in a 30 cm frying pan over medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until softened. (If the pan is too small to accommodate all the onion, cook it in batches.) Add onion to the turkey and return pan to the heat. Simmer for a further 30 minutes.
Add the toasted chillies to the broth and check the seasoning. Serve a piece of turkey with each portion, along with a generous ladle of the broth and onion. Top with a grilled chilli. Serve warmed tortillas at the table along with the habanero salsa.
Note
• Bitter oranges are common and integral ingredient in Mexican cooking. If unavailable, use a mixture of two parts lime juice, one part lemon juice and one part orange in its place.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
