Sopa Seca

I'm always looking for easy ways to use up leftovers.  A while back a came across a recipe for Sopa Seca which is a turkey noodle Mexican casserole. 

Ingredients: Olive Oil, 12 ounces fideos, 1 medium onion chopped, 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 can Ro-Tel canned tomatoes (feel free to sub diced tomatoes), 2-4 finely minced chiles in adobo sauce,  1.5 cups of chicken or turkey stock (I used the leftover frozen turkey stock I had), 2 cups shredded chicken or turkey, 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese.

Spices:  One teaspoon each of the following: coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic granules, onion granules, salt & pepper and oregano along with 2 bay leaves and 2 tablespoons of tomato powder.

In a large sauce pan heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Toast the fideos and then place on a plate for later.   Your going to want to toss them around the pan with some tongs being careful not to burn them.  The goal is just light toasted color on some of the noodles.

In the same pan add a little more oil and add the onion.  Cook until translucent.  Then add the spice blend and cook until nice and fragrant.  This should only take 30-60 seconds.  Next add in the tomatoes and chiles in adobo sauce.  Simmer for about 5 mins to thicken up.   Then add in the broth & fideo.  Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the shredded chicken or turkey.  Mix to combine.  Pour everything into a greased casserole and top with some shredded cheese.

At this point you can cover and store for 2 days or just pop it into a 375 oven for 25-35 minutes.  I made this casserole in the morning for a quick dinner later in the day.

I served this with some sour cream and fresh salsa.

Shredded Turkey & Chile Enchiladas

I was going through my freezer the other day and realized that I had stashed the turkey legs from Thanksgiving for later use.  After a little thought enchiladas came to mind.

For the Filling:
Shredded Turkey Leg Meat
1 small can diced green chiles
1 small block of queso fresco
1/2 small can of spicy Mexican tomato sauce
1 small can of plain tomato sauce

Mix all the filling ingredients together in a large bowl and reserve for later.

Enchilada Sauce:
10 dried  California dried chiles
1/2 small can of spice Mexican tomato sauce
Turkey Stock (canned or fresh)

Stem and remove the seeds from the chiles.  Rinse well.  Place in a sauce pan and cover with at least 3 inches of fresh water.  Bring to a simmer.  Turn off the water and let set for about an hour until nice and soft.

Strain the chiles and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Add in the tomato sauce and blend.  Slowly add in turkey stock until you get a nice smooth consistency.  

Turkey Stock:  Place the leg bones and any remaining chunks of turkey meat into a large stock pot.  Add in 1 large onion & 2-3 carrots coarsely chopped.  Lightly smash 8 cloves of garlic with the back of a nice and toss those in too.  Now add some seasoning.  I used salt, pepper, oregano and dried ground ancho chiles.
Let this simmer for 3 hours.   Strain well.  Use the stock in sauces and soups.

Prepare the Enchiladas:
You can use either white or corn tortillas.  I used small white tortillas for this recipe because that's what I had on hand.
Spread about 1/4 cup of prepared sauce in the bottom of rectangular baking dish.
Heat up a large skillet with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Heat up a tortillas in the oil on both sides just to warm it up and make it nice and pliable.  Place it on a plate and place a big spoonful of the filling in the center. Roll up the tortilla and then place it in the baking dish.  Continue until baking dish is full of enchiladas.  Pour more sauce over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven until nice and bubbly.  About 30 minutes.  You can sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top if you like before putting in the oven.

I served my enchiladas with sour cream & salsa.

You can fake this whole recipe by using your favorite jarred or canned Enchilada sauce and store bought shredded chicken.  I really just wanted to cook all day and make everything from scratch.

Chile Colorado

I am a huge fan of all types of Mexican and Southwest Cuisine.   Here is my version of Chile Colorado

Ingredients:

• 3.5 lbs of beef chuck cubed into about 1 inch chunks
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 cloves of galic
• 8-10 New Mexico Dried Chile Peppers
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can spicy tomato sauce
• 1/4-1/2 cup of water
• cumin
• salt & pepper

Chop up the onion into a fine dice and mix with the cubed beef.  Place in the crock of slow cooker.  Add in a few cloves of smashed and diced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of cumin and some salt & pepper.  Cook on low 8 hrs.

Meanwhile prepare the chile sauce:  Clean each dried chile by cutting off the stem, removing the seeds and rinsing under water.  Place them in a sauce pan with enough water to cover.  Bring to a simmer turn off the heat and cover.  Let set for 45 minutes to soften.  Drain them and place in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Add about 1/4-1/2 cups of water and puree.  Strain the chile sauce to remove any skin or excess debris.

Once the meat is done strain off some of the excess liquid in the pot.  Add the chile sauce, tomato sauce and beef broth.  Cook on high for about an hour uncovered so the sauce can thicken.

I serve mine in a shallow bowl with warm tortilla's, fresh guacamole and sour cream.