Turkey Roulade with Corn/Squash/Mole
No need to toil with a whole turkey for this turkey mole dish. You butterfly the thighs, spread a stuffing on it, roll it and tie it with strings. My experiment achieved the expected combination of rich Mexican flavors that I describe as the flavor of chocolate, a taste and texture of corn, not overpowered by mole but a balance of rich mole and subtle squash puree/corn flavors. Oooh yes!
I tried cooking this roulade two different ways. In a water bath (sous vide) and direct roasting. Neither technique produced the expected outcome of a turkey roll with a firm center, but don’t wait for me to find the perfect technique because this dish is too delicious to wait for a solution. My next attempt is to steam the roulade and if that works I’ll update this posting. In the meantime this recipe roasts the roulade. Let’s get started.
Ingredients
serves 4
1 turkey thigh (about 1¼ lbs)
2 oz of Mexican mole paste (about 3 tablespoons)
2 cups of masa harina (corn flour) for tortillas
1 cup of squash puree
1 cup of frozen white corn kernels Butcher string
Salt and pepper
Preparation
You can refer to this link for instructions on making a squash puree – Tamalitos. You can usually find fresh masa at your Mexican grocery stores or tortilleria or you can prepare masa from corn flour (masa harina).
Leave the skin on the thigh, remove bone. Butterfly and lightly pound thigh meat until 1⁄2” thick; season both sides of thighs with salt and pepper, chill until ready to use.
In a small bowl, place 3 tablespoons of mole paste and 2 tablespoons of hot water and mix to thin out the paste. For the stuffing, in another a bowl, mix the masa, squash puree and corn kernels.
Lay thigh meat flat on a work surface and spread the mole widthwise down center of the thigh, then do the same with the stuffing. Working from one short side, roll the thigh, encasing the stuffing, into a tight package; tie with butcher’s string. Brush the roll with olive oil and place in a roasting pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until it reaches 160 degrees temperature. You can place it under the broiler if you want a crispier the skin. Rest for 10 minutes, slice and plate on a serving platter.
Note
Layne Wooten, famous cowboy chef would buy pork tamales from us and use them to stuff his Thanksgiving turkey so that’s how I got the idea for this dish. You can use a turkey breast for this recipe; it serves 6 or more.
Buen Provecho.
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