Smoked Turkey Tacos with Mole Verde
After moving from Austin to Boston, I would periodically get such a jones for Tex-Mex food that nothing would satisfy it but a casserole dish full of enchiladas stuffed with chunks of smoked turkey and slathered in a spicy-sweet green mole sauce. They had been a favorite of mine at Z’Tejas, at the time a funky place on 6th Street, but now a small chain with outposts in Texas, Utah, California, Arizona, and Washington State. I was thrilled when the Austin American-Statesman ran a recipe for the enchiladas a few years after I left town. It enabled me to invite over a mix of fellow Tex-pats and native New Englanders and have everyone marveling at the revelation that is a chocolate-free mole sauce. All these years later, the revelation for me was how easily they morphed into soft tacos, still with that unusual combination of smoked turkey breast and mole verde. For this, the smoked turkey should be cut from a very thick slice, so either buy a whole or half smoked breast yourself and cut it from there, or ask your deli to custom-cut a 1/2-inch slice or two.
Ingredients
Mole Verde Sauce
Tacos
Preparation
Step 1
To make the mole verde, bring a 2-quart saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Carefully drop the tomatillos into the water and boil them for 5 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a blender along with 2 tablespoons of the boiling water (discard the rest). Stem, seed, and coarsely chop the jalapeño; reserve the seeds. Add the jalapeño to the blender, along with the cilantro, salt, chili powder, cumin, honey, oil, and 4 tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds. Remove the center cap from the top of the blender lid to allow the heat to escape and place a dish towel over it to prevent any splatters; pulse to puree until smooth. Taste, and add more salt if needed. If you want it spicier, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds and puree again, repeating until you’ve reached the desired heat level.
Step 2
To make the tacos, warm the tortillas (see page 85) and wrap them in aluminum foil to keep warm.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the smoked turkey and water, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes, or until heated through.
Step 4
To assemble, lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the turkey-shallot mixture among the tortillas, spoon a tablespoon or two of the mole verde sauce on top and sprinkle with the cheese, the remaining tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, and the cilantro sprigs, and eat.
Notes
Step 5
To roast the pumpkin seeds, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 5 to 7 minutes, until the seeds are very fragrant. Immediately transfer to a plate to stop the cooking and allow the seeds to cool completely.
Step 6
This makes twice as much sauce as you will need, but it will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Use on another batch of tacos, or on scrambled eggs on toast, grilled steak, chicken and rice, and more.
