Recipe: Turkey Escabeche

Recipe

Turkey Escabeche

Escabeche

In the Yucatan, foods cooked "en escabeche" are stewed with aromatic vegetables and robust flavorings, then shredded and served in their own cooking juices. Intensely flavorful, this dish is perfect for summer parties as it is cooked the day before and then eaten at room temperature. You may also substitute chicken breasts for turkey. If desired, serve it with warm flour tortillas and shredded lettuce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 turkey breast half, on bone, skinned
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
6 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 fresh rosemary sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 fresh thyme sprig, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, cut in half
1 rib of celery, cut in half
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Set a nonreactive pot or stovetop casserole (just large enough to hold the turkey breast) over medium heat. Add the turkey, breast side down, and all ingredients except for the peppers and 1/2 of the onion slices. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat, covered, 20 minutes. Turn the turkey over and simmer, covered, another 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and quickly add the remaining onion and pepper slices to the broth. Cover again and let cool, then refrigerate overnight.

Next day, if any fat has solidified, skim it off and discard. Place the pot over low heat just long enough to melt the gelled liquid and take the chill off the meat. Discard the bay leaves, carrot and celery stalk. Remove the turkey breast and serve at room temperature, shredded or sliced, topped with the sliced vegetables and sauce.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve the shredded meat and vegetables in Mexican bolillos or crusty French rolls with a slice of jalapeño pepper. Or, let your guests roll the moist shredded meat and vegetables into warm flour tortillas, garnished with chopped cilantro and crisp lettuce. If desired, the cooking liquid can be reduced to a thicker sauce.