Spiced Turkey Tacos

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

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Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. canola oil
½ large onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey thigh
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. minced chipotle, rehydrated in hot water first (for a slight kick, you can increase this amount to taste if you want more heat)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. brown sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving:
corn or flour tortillas, warmed
Monterrey Jack, pepper jack or shredded Mexican cheese blend
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado or guacamole
sour cream
lime wedges
salsa or pico de gallo

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, until just cooked through. Stir in the tomato paste, water, chipotle, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with warmed tortillas and any of the following (all optional) toppings: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado/guacamole, sour cream, lime, and salsa/pico de gallo.

Serves 4.

From ahintofhoney.com