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| © Emma Fishman |
By Danny Mena, Bon Appétit
“There are a lot of American expats celebrating Thanksgiving in Mexico, where I grew up,” says chef Danny Mena, author of Made in Mexico. “One year, a good friend invited me over for their big family celebration. They had made half a turkey the traditional roasted method, and the other half they made into a pozole, and the pozole was a clear winner. So every so often, I’ll make turkey pozole with Thanksgiving leftovers. Pozole is basically a pork and hominy broth that can be clear (nothing much else added), red (dried chiles), or green (fresh chiles and may have tomatillos and pumpkin seeds). Turkey broth can be a bit intense, so I like green pozole with fresh chiles, which balances it out very nicely.”
Yield: 8 - 10 Servings
Ingredients
Stock
- 1 turkey carcass
- 2 white onions, unpeeled, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large carrots, scrubbed, chopped
- 1l arge bunch mixed hardy herbs (such as marjoram, oregano, and/or thyme)
- 4 bay leaves
- Kosher salt
Hominy and assembly
- 2 cups dried white or golden hominy, soaked overnight in fridge
- 2 Tbsp. dried oregano, plus more for serving
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ½ white onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 4 whole allspice
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- 1lb. tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, coarsely chopped
- 3–5serrano chiles, seeds removed if desired
- 1 cup radish leaves, arugula, spinach, or other greens
- Kosher salt
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce or green cabbage (optional)
- 1cup crushed chicharrones (optional)
- ¼ cup crushed pequin chiles or crushed red pepper flakes
- Lime wedges (for serving)
Preparation
Stock
- Combine turkey, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, herbs, and bay leaves in a large pot and pour in 4 quarts water (turkey should be completely covered; add more water if needed). Bring to a boil, skimming any foam from surface; reduce heat and simmer 3 hours.
- Remove turkey carcass from pot and place in a large bowl. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into another large bowl; discard solids. Return stock to pot and set over low heat. Taste and season with salt (it will likely take 3 Tbsp. or more Diamond Crystal or about 5¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt). Measure out 2 cups stock in a heatproof measuring glass and set aside.
Hominy and Assembly
- Drain hominy and cut off tips (this will help the hominy absorb the cooking liquid so it gets plump and soft without a hard chalky core). Add hominy and 4 cups water to stock remaining in pot. Increase heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until hominy is tender (some kernels should have burst from their skins), 2–3 hours. Remove from heat and add 2 Tbsp. dried oregano.
- While hominy is cooking, remove turkey meat from carcass and shred; discard bones.
- Heat oil in a medium pot over medium and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, just until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring often, until lightly golden, about 4 more minutes. Add allspice, cloves, and cumin seeds and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add tomatillos, 3–5 serrano chiles, depending on how spicy your chiles are and how much heat you prefer, and reserved 2 cups stock; purée until smooth. Wipe out pot.
- Pour purée into pot and cook over medium-high heat until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer 1 cup sauce back to blender and add radish leaves; purée until bright green and smooth. Stir radish purée and remaining sauce in pot into hominy. Taste and season with salt if needed. Stir in turkey meat and divide pozole among bowls. Serve radishes, lettuce (if using), chicharrones (if using), crushed dried chiles, lime wedges, and more oregano in bowls alongside for topping as desired.
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