Roasted Turkey & Pumpkin Enchilada’s

This one’s for Craig and Katie who have too many pumpkins (if there even is such a thing).  I started making these last year and I craved them all summer long.  Any squash that stays firm with a little roasting will work and they can easily be made vegetarian by adding some extra cheese and omitting the bird.  I’ll apologize in advance for the lack of exactness in this recipe.  You’ll figure out your exact as you make them.  Since it’s not precise it will be helpful if you read through before making.   I think I’m going to add some goat cheese to them next time too.

Method/Recipe:

Ingredients for the filling:

3 lb turkey breast (you’ll only use about 1/2 that, but it’s so nice to have roasted turkey around that I always roast extra)
2 sugar pumpkins, halved and seeded (also called pie pumpkins and like the turkey if you end-up with extra you won’t have a hard time using it…pumpkin risotto…pumpkin quesadilla’s for snack, etc.)
Cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, kosher salt & pepper
Olive oil
12 corn or flour tortillas
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cups grated jack cheese (or pepper jack if you’d like)
3-4 cups sauce (recipe below)

The first step is to roast the turkey breast and  pumpkins.  Rub the turkey breast with olive oil then dust it with a good amount of smokey paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper at 350° until the internal temp is about 160º then let it rest for 20 minutes.  When the turkey is about 1/2 way done place  pumpkins on a sheet pan.  Brush them with olive oil then sprinkle with about a tablespoon of cinnamon, teaspoon of cayenne, and salt to taste. Roast them for about 40 minutes or until they are tender enough to get a knife through, but still firm.

ready to roast

Once everything is roasty-toasty shred or dice 1/2 the turkey. Scoop the pumpkin out of the shell and slice it in 1/2 inch thick strips. Fill each tortilla with some turkey, pumpkin, jack cheese, and cilantro. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Pack the rolled enchilada’s tightly into the dish. Top with sauce and more jack cheese. Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro and let it set for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with garnishes like avocado, cilantro, diced scallions, and sour cream.

Chipotle Enchilada Sauce**

Ingredients:

2 large dried pasilla (negro) chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 Tblsp. canola oil
1 large onion chopped (no need to be precise, we’re going to blend the sauce)
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 28 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes in juice
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
2-3 cups chicken broth

In a hot skillet toast the chiles by pressing down on them until they begin to blister – remove. Add oil to the pan, then add the onion and garlic cooking until translucent. Add back the chiles, tomatoes, and chipotle chilies. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. In batches, blend the sauce until smooth adding stock until you get the consistency of a thick soup. Add the mixture back to the skillet and let it simmer and reduce a bit. Add more stock if it gets too thick.
**Nobody will tell if you buy a can of your favorite enchilada sauce and blend a few chipotle chilies into it. Also, this sauce is a great start for tortilla soup. Simply thin it with stock and let cubed chicken poach in it, finish with chips, cheese, cilantro, and your favorite toppings.

Tagged as: enchilada, method, mexican, pumpkin, roasted