Ground Turkey Tamales With Enchilada Sauce

Ground Turkey Tamales With Enchilada Sauce. Tamale. Tamale. I love ya’ tamale. Only, you know, today is tamale. And tamale is today.  Oh, who am I tryin’ to kid? I love tamales today. And every day. And tomorrow. And you will too… especially making them at home.

Ground Turkey Tamales With Enchilada Sauce

Prep

Soak 20 large corn husks in water (there are usually about 80-100 to a one-pound bag sold in grocery stores). Place a clean plate or tray upon them to keep them from floating out of the water.

Tamale Meat Filling

• 20 ounces ground turkey, chicken, or beef (you can also use slow cooked beef or pulled pork)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 20 ounces ground turkey 
• 1 recipe of taco seasoning

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add diced onions and fry until translucent then add ground turkey.

Cook until it’s done.

If you decide to use ground beef and it creates a lot of extra grease be sure to drain it out before moving to the next step.

Stir in taco seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Enchilada Sauce

• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable, beef, or chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable bouillon or Better than Bouillon
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 ounces mild green chiles (optional)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, & pepper. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in flour & seasoning mixture and whisk continually while cooking for a couple of minutes.

Add & whisk in the broth. The sauce will thicken as it comes to a boil.

Cook down for a few minutes while whisking in the sugar, lime juice, bouillon, tomato paste, and chiles.

Masa Dough

• 2 cups maseca
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening, lard, or unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Taste and stir in additional salt if needed.

Assembling the Tamales

Place 4-6 cups of water in a steaming pot (leaving space between the water and the steaming rack or sieve so the tamales don’t get wet) and turn on high. Bring to a boil & turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer. Don’t let the water get so high that it rises to the steaming rack as to not get the tamales wet.

Lay a softened corn husk out with the top facing away from you. Press about 1/4 cup of masa dough on the upper part of the husk but leave about an inch at the top so the filling has room to move without falling out when you tie it together. Cover evenly about 2/3 across the husk, leaving about 3 inches free at the bottom of the husk.

Place a line of about 3 tablespoons of ground turkey filling straight up & down the middle of the masa dough.

Use a couple of the narrowest corn husks to create strips to tie your tamales together.

To secure the tamales, bring the two sides of the masa filling together so they make a complete circle around the meat. Fold over any excess corn husk. Fold the bottom (which has no masa dough on it) up toward the top of the tamale. Tie around the middle with the corn husk strips you created. Repeat and place tamales on a tray.

When all tamales are prepared, place half of them in the steaming rack. Simmer for about 40 minutes. Then repeat with the other half of your tamales.

Toppings

• Sour cream
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Crumbled cojita cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced black olives
• Green chiles, hot or mild
• Guacamole
• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped green onions
• Salsa

To Serve

It is the most fun to place tamales in or on a pretty dish and serve in husks, allowing each guest to unroll their own. Of course, they will be very hot & steamy, so everyone will need to be careful. Serve with sauce and, if desired, any of the toppings listed above. The possibilities are limitless.

This is a great recipe to make with friends or family. It is the social Mexican equivalent of snapping peas on the front porch in rocking chairs.