Turkey Wings a la Helin
February 9, 2010 | Filed Under Honduran recipes, Poultry, Sofrito, Turkey | 7 Comments
Chopped cilantro and onions — part of the ingredients to make sofrito.
I’m not so crazy about turkey. The only part of the turkey I like LOVE is the wings. Yeah, I love turkey wings and that’s it. For a long time, I’d just sprinkle salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil on the wings before putting them in the oven. That was it for me. Then family friend, Helin mentioned how she usually prepares her turkey. Intrigued, I decided to try her method on my wings. It sounded so easy and the added enticement was that I could use the same recipe when preparing chicken, too.
First she made her version (Honduran) of sofrito. For those new to sofrito, it’s basically a flavorful sauce, freshly made and added to meats, poultry (in this case turkey), stews and sauces. It’s used in different types of cuisines, such as Latin, Spanish, Mediterranean and more. Ever since I made my first sofrito a few years ago, I’ve learned that there are different types of sofrito.
Helin’s sofrito was simple and consisted of 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of culantro, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, water and apple cider vinegar, which was then mixed in the blender.
Sofrito prepared in the blender
Next, she carefully cleaned and washed the turkey, making sure to remove stray feathers. I confess that I was never that thorough when preparing any type of poultry. Then Helin rinsed the wings with fresh lemon juice and water. I’d never seen it done that way before but she said that’s what she does to help get rid of the bacteria. Another confession: I normally just wash with cold water and call it a day. Well, I’ve learned something new now.
Next we seasoned the turkey with Adobo, Sazón with coriander and annatto and covered the wings with the freshly-made sofrito (The wings could also be marinated a few hours in the sofrito.). Helin said that when she prepares a whole turkey, she pokes holes into it so the the sofrito seeps into the turkey and flavors it more.
Turkey wings covered with sofrito before going into the oven.
We covered the wings with foil and place them in the oven. After 40 minutes, we removed the foil and left the wings in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Uncovered, we spooned the juices/gravy over the wings.
When ready, the turkey came out full of flavor and very tasty.
A few days later, I tried the same method with chicken pieces. Again, I wasn’t disappointed. Delicious.
Paz (very happy)
Three remaining pieces of turkey wings after everyone served themselves.
Sofrito (Freshly made)
October 19, 2005 | Filed Under Latin Recipes, Sofrito | 1 Comment
When I make certain Latin recipes like rice and beans, macarroni with chicken, or a simple sauce, part of the ingredients I use include sofrito — the special base used in many Latin recipes. It is also used to flavor other dishes like chicken and sautéed shrimp. You can buy the sofrito from a store that sells Latin food products or you can make your own from scratch. I’ve found that I prefer the homemade version by T.V. Cook Daisy Martinez. I love the smells of the fresh cilantro, sweet peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and ajicito dulces as they are pureed in the food processor. It’s as if the sofrito brings life to the kitchen aromas and meal preparation. It tastes very good, and adds an extra special flavor to the dish. As the sofrito recipe suggests, I store the rest of it in the fridge or freezer to use when needed. Paz
Sofrito
Makes about 4 cups.
If you can’t find ajices dulces or culantro, don’t sweat. Up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches.
| 2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks 3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers 16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large bunch cilantro, washed 7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional 4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro 3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks |
Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully. Freeze sofrito in ½ cup batches in sealable plastic bags. They come in extremely handy in a pinch. You can even add sofrito straight from the freezer to the pan in any recipe that calls for it in this book.
Pantry Notes: Ajices Dulces, also known as cachucha or ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers with a hint of heat. They range in color from light to medium green and yellow to red and orange. They add freshness and an herby note to the sofrito and anything you cook. Do not mistake them for Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies (which they look like)—those two pack a wallop when it comes to heat. If you can find ajicitos in your market, add them to sofrito. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. It is a nice, not essential addition to sofrito. (See Sources for both the above.)
