Pavo con Mole Poblano and Brunswick Stew

Just two recipes this week. We're all still suffering from turkey-coma!

Brunswick Stew

On our way back from Savannah a couple weeks ago, we stopped a few miles north of the GA/FL border, at a very nice rest stop. There, of all surprising things, we found a monument to the origin of Brunswick Stew.

Brunswick Stew is a southern classic with so many origin myths and apocryphal stories surrounding it, a foodie could do a PhD thesis on the subject. 

Some say it was invented in Virginia, others Georgia. Lots of arguments about the kinds of vegetables and meats to be used... the list goes on, and every area has its favorites. 

 Chances are that Brunswick Stew, and is relative Kentucky Burgoo, are both derived from Whatchagot Hunter's Stew -- made with whatever the hunter could bag and his wife could find in the (limited) pantry or ripe in the field. A few commonalities can be ascertained between all of the versions:

• Brunswick Stew is THICK, not watery. Thick stews are made by simmering low and slow. In pioneer days it might be kept simmering from daylight till dark, or even ovdr night.
• More than one kind of meat is the normal state of affairs. Usually pork and chicken today; although wild game is still considered de rigeur in some places -- squirrel, rabbit, boar, deer, turkey, woodchuck, quail, etc.

Here's a decent modernized recipe for Brunswick Stew that I've used in the past. It's rich and smokey and goes a long way. This gallon will serve at least a dozen folks, especially if you serve corn pone, cornmeal muffins, or cornbread alongside. Buy your meats in bulk from your local BBQ joint.

3 Tbsp Butter and/or Canola Oil

1/2 cup diced Onion

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

28 oz can Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes, low sodium

15 oz can Tomato Sauce, low sodium

1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce, pick your favorite style and brand

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

3/4 lb Smoked Chicken Breast, pulled or diced large

3/4 lb Smoked Pulled Pork

16 oz frozen Yellow Corn

16 oz frozen Lima Beans

16 oz frozen Okra

16 oz Chicken Stock, low sodium

Salt, Pepper and Hot Sauce to taste

In a large, heavy bottom pot heat oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook for a minute or three until the onion starts to get translucent. Add the cayenne and the whole tomatoes. Using a wood spoon, etc. break up the tomatoes and remove any hard bits.

Add the tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire, and stir to combine.  When the mixture comes to a boil, add the meats, vegetables and stock and simmer for about thirty minutes, covered. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Continue cooking for at least another thirty minutes, uncovered, to allow the stew to thicken. 

 

Pavo con Mole Poblano

What's not to love, this recipe has both chiles and chocolate.   The perfect post-Thanksgiving left-over turkey makeover!   I probably adapted this recipe from my culinary hero Rick Bayless of the PBS show Mexico One Plate At A Time, but it's been so long I don't remember.   Mole Poblano also goes well with chicken, shrimp and lots of other things.   Check out the Wikipedia entry on Mole Poblano for some insight to the fascinating history of this dish...

This is not a simple recipe but if you love Mexican, this is authentico haute cuisine! Well, each step is simple but there are several steps. The recipe makes about 4 cups of mole. IF you have any leftover sauce, it can be frozen...

4 Mulato Chiles*

4 Pasilla Chiles*

3 Ancho Chiles*

1/2 cup plus Vegetable Oil or Lard

5 Tomatillos, husked and cooked until soft

3 whole Cloves

10 whole Black Peppercorns

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp seeds from the chiles, toasted

1/4 tsp Anise seeds, toasted (or 1/2 a star anise)

1/4 tsp Coriander seeds, toasted

2 cloves Garlic, roasted

1/4 cup Raisins

10 whole Almonds, blanched

1/4 cup Pepitas (hulled, roasted pumpkin seeds)

2 corn Tortillas, torn into pieces

2 stale Croissants, cut into 1-inch slices

3 cups Chicken broth as needed

1 ounce Mexican Chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup Sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

*Mulato, pasilla, and ancho chiles are dried chiles, not fresh. If you can't find those specific varieties, use what dried chiles you can find.

Clean the chiles by removing stems, veins, and seeds; reserve 1 tablespoon of seeds. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Fry the chiles until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds, turning once; make sure they do not burn. Reserve the oil. Drain chiles on paper towels. Put the chiles in a glass bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking water.

Puree the chiles in a blender with enough of the soaking water to make a smooth paste, scraping down the blender as necessary. Reheat the oil over medium heat and add the chile puree (be careful -- it will splatter). Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the paper skin from the tomatillos and chop them, then puree in a blender. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp sesame seeds. Add the ground mixture and the garlic to the pureed tomatillos and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry each of the following ingredients and then remove with a slotted spoon:

the raisins until they puff up;

the almonds to a golden brown;

the pumpkin seeds until they pop.

If necessary, add enough oil to make 4 tablespoons and fry the tortilla pieces and bread slices until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side.

Add the fried ingredients to the tomatillo puree and blend, then slowly add 1 cup or more of chicken broth, to make a smooth sauce.  In a deep heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the chile puree, the tomatillo puree, and the Mexican chocolate. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

Add the remaining chicken broth and cook over low heat for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often enough to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom. Ladle over warmed turkey slices, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice.