Turkey - Southwest Style

Turkey - Southwest Style

If I could 'weigh in' on Turkeys (pun intended), we've got a terrific recipe that we've been using for a bunch of years that spins that bird in a whole new direction - if you like southwestern flavors.

Take 1 or 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, slice longways into slivers.

Grab a vegetable peeler (the long thin kind), and use it to poke deep holes in the meat of the bird - all over (a big knitting needle would substitute). Poke a jalapeno sliver into each hole. The fresh pepper is rigid enough even as slivers to (usually) not break as you stick it in the hole. I usually put nearly a dozen slivers in each side of the breast, another half dozen on each side across the thighs and legs, and don't bother with the wings since they usually get pretty crispy as we cook the bird on the grill.

Stuff the bird with fresh tamales (unwrapped from the husks, and sliced into pieces). A dozen tamales will probably be more than plenty. Secure all of the cavities.

Before it goes on the grill/in oven, mix about a tablespoon or so of some mild chili powder with about 1/3 cup olive oil and rub it all over the bird. Be careful with this, it gets as slippery as a wet baby!

Cook until done. The bird has a lovely red-brown color because of the chili. Make gravy from the drippings (the chili flavor usually comes through nicely if the drippings aren't too burnt. The fresh jalapenos tend to lose their heat during cooking, but the pepper flavors sink into the meat.

This has been our bird preparation of choice for a bunch of years. And tamale stuffing with chili gravy is almost the best part of all!

The original recipe came out of a Chicago newspaper.
Enjoy!

Deb
paca_mama
(11/18/01)

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