Turkey! Five Ways To Latinize Your Leftovers

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving. We know, we know, but there's food. And for those of you who find traditional, American turkey recipes rather blasé, here are five ways to turn that pavo around.

Turkey and Roasted Poblano Enchiladas Verdes

1 tsp canola oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped 1/4 cup heavy cream 3 cups shredded cooked turkey about 5 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 2 green onions, thinly sliced 8-10 fresh corn tortillas kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper 1-2 recipes of salsa verde, 8 oz shredded monterey jack or pepper jack Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a rectangular glass or ceramic baking dish. Add canola oil to a saute pan and place over medium heat. Once the pan and oil are hot add the diced onions. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until translucent. Add minced garlic to onions, stir and continue to saute for another minute. Add roasted and chopped poblano peppers and the cream to the pan. Stir. Allow the liquid from the cream to nearly cook completely away, about 3-5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. While the veggies are sauteing, add the softened cream cheese and turkey to a mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatual, thoroughly mix together the shredded turkey and cream cheese. If the the cream cheese is at room temperature this should be relatively easy but if it's still cold you'll have to use a little elbow grease. Once the cream in the veggies has nearly cooked away add them to the turkey and cream cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add the cilantro and green onions and stir to combine. Taste the mixture and season as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place a clean, dry saute pan or griddle over medium heat. Once hot, heat 1 corn tortilla, about 30 seconds - 1 minute per side, until pliable but not fully cooked. Working carefully as the tortillas will be hot, place about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the turkey poblano mixture into the tortilla in a line going down the middle. Roll the tortilla up into a tight, tube shape encompassing the filling but open on both ends. Place the enchilada seam-side down in the greased baking dish. Repeat this process until all of the filling has been used. Pour lots of salsa verde over the enchiladas and cover with shredded cheese. (The corn tortillas will absorb a lot of the salsa while baking so it's advised to use a hefty amount!) Bake enchiladas in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot. Enjoy! *Note: You can prepare the enchiladas several hours in advance and keep refrigerated until ready to bake. Just increase the baking time by 10-15 minutes to account for the chilled ingredients.

Turkey Carnitas

1 tsp Kosher salt 1/2 tsp ground ancho chile 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chile 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 lb turkey thigh 2 TB olive oil 1 qt low sodium chicken broth 1 tsp oregano, preferably Mexican 1 cinnamon stick zest of 1/2 medium orange In a small bowl mix salt, ancho chile, chipotle chile and cumin. Rub spice mixture onto turkey thigh, refrigerate and let marinate at least six hours to overnight. The orange zest does not need to be fine. I peeled half an orange, then scraped the white pith from the inside. You’ll have three or four large pieces. Add the chicken broth, oregano, cinnamon stick and orange zest. Bring this to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Turn the meat once or twice while braising for even cooking. The thigh will take about 1 1/2 hours for the meat to become very tender. Remove the meat from the broth and place onto a cutting board. Remove the skin and discard. Using two forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Place the shredded meat back into the broth to keep it moist. Because I am using turkey I decided to eliminate the roasting step to crisp up the meat, because I did not want the meat to dry out. Toast some corn tortillas on the stove by placing them directly on the open flame of a burner. Using tongs, move the tortilla over the flame, turning often, until softened and slightly charred. Place a little of the turkey carnitas into your tortilla and top with salsa verde, pica de gallo, or whatever you like on your carnitas. I had some fresh arugula leaves, and put them on my carnitas along with some salsa. Delicious!

Grilled Turkey Cuban Sandwiches

* 1 cup mayonnaise, divided * 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha) * 1/3 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh mint * 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice * 2 tablespoons minced shallot * 1 teaspoon sugar * 1 teaspoon ground cumin * 1 1-pound loaf ciabatta bread, ends trimmed, bread cut crosswise into 6 pieces (each about 5x3 inches), each halved horizontally * 12 deli slices Swiss cheese * 1 pound thinly sliced Black Forest ham * 6 1/4-inch-thick slices cooked turkey breast * 6 tablespoons (about) butter Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise and chili sauce in small bowl. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, mint, and next 4 ingredients in another small bowl. Spread chili mayonnaise over cut sides of bread. Top each bottom half of bread with 1 cheese slice, ham slices, and 1 turkey slice. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Spoon mint mayonnaise over turkey. Top with remaining cheese and top halves of bread. Working in batches, melt 2 tablespoons butter in large griddle over medium heat. Add 3 sandwiches; top with piece of foil. Place 13x9x2-inch metal pan atop sandwiches. Fill pan with 6 to 8 pounds of canned goods and cook until bread is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove pan with weights and foil. Transfer sandwiches to work surface. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in griddle. Turn sandwiches over onto griddle. Replace foil and pan with weights. Continue cooking until cheese melts and sandwiches are golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches. Cut in half; serve.

Turkey Flautas

1/4 c. chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch 1/4 c. chicken broth 1 c. cooked shredded turkey 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 tbsp. chopped green chiles 6 (6 inch) corn tortillas Vegetable oil Guacamole Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet until tender. Set aside. Combine cornstarch and chicken broth; add cornstarch mixture, chicken, and next 3 ingredients to onion mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside. Fry tortillas, one at a time, in 1/4 inch hot 375 degree oil about 5 seconds on each side or just until softened. Drain on paper towels. Spread about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up each tortilla tightly, and secure with a wooden pick. Heat oil in skillet. Add flautas, and brown on all sides over high heat, 375 degrees. Drain on paper towels. Serve with guacamole. Yield: 2 servings.

Turkey Empanadas

Serves 6 Uses turkey and mashed potatoes. * 1 sheet frozen puff pastry * 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes * 4 cups turkey, shredded * 1 tablespoon chili powder * 1/4 cup parsley, chopped * 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped * Salt and freshly ground black pepper * 1 egg * All-purpose flour for dusting Preparation Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Pull one sheet of puff pastry out of the freezer and thaw it out in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. While the puff pastry is defrosting, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the leftover mashed potatoes, shredded turkey, chili powder, parsley, cilantro, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once the dough has defrosted, use a little flour to roll out the dough to about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut it in half horizontally. Cut each half vertically into three equal pieces; you should have six squares. Place 1/3 cup of the potato mixture in the middle of each square. Fold over each square so one corner meets the other. It should look like a triangle. Press the sides down using a fork or pinch with your fingers. Repeat with the other five. Lay them out onto a parchment-lined sheet tray. Beat an egg in a bowl with a tablespoon or so of water. Brush empanadas with the egg wash so they will get nice and brown. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Leftover Turkey Recipes: Turkey and Roasted Poblano Enchiladas Verdes [What We're Eating] Succulent Spiced Turkey Carnitas Recipe [Black Girl Chef's Whites] Turkey Empanadas [Rachel Ray]