Turkey with Mole

Name: Turkey with Mole
Yield: makes 8 tacos
Ingredients: 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut into 1/3-inch by 2 1/2-inch strips; 1 (8 1/4-ounce) jar mole sauce, such as Doña Maria; 5 tablespoons vegetable oil; 6 cloves garlic, dry-roasted (page 158); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 cups chicken stock; 2 cups water; 8 ounces tomatoes, blackened (page 164) and cut into 1/4-inch dice; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon chipotle puree (page 153); 1/3 cup dark raisins (do not use golden raisins); 2 ounces Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra); 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao); 8 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving; Garnish: Toasted sesame seed (page 164)

January 26, 2012

Native to North America, turkey has always been a celebratory bird (or at least it was celebrated by those who dined on it). Turkey (guajolote, in Spanish) was used for special feasts in pre-Columbian times and was a favorite food of the American Indians. In Mexico today, turkey in mole is still the preferred holiday dish. For Thanksgiving dinner one year at Coyote Café, we raised almost thirty wild turkeys (so much better than the modern domesticated turkey) on open ranchland so they were free to go anywhere and eat anything. The flavor of those turkeys was magnificent! This recipe is a tempting taste of what awaits any traveler to Oaxaca or Puebla, two of the great Mexican mole capitals. Commercially produced mole sauces are widely available throughout most major grocery store chains in the United States. We have used turkey breast for this recipe, but any part of the turkey will work. Note that the turkey must marinate overnight before cooking.

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