When one starts with dried chili peppers you know it’s just got to be a tasty dish no matter how it’s served. This one was no different. I’m not sure why we used turkey, considering we just went through an entire 14 roast turkey. Oh well.
This dinner came out very nicely. I believe all we’d change would be the addition of raisins. The dish was too sweet. Look at those chilis! I used mostly the New Mexian Red chilis with maybe 4 dried pasillas tossed for the fun of it.

After seeding and deveining them they need to soak and rehydrate a bit.

Dice up some white onions, tomatoes and a hunk o’ garlic.

Whiz the chilis up real good and add the diced ingredients.

Zaazzzzzzwwwhhrrrrrrrr. WwwweeeeeeEEEEEEE !!!

Brown the turkey (we used the thighs) in a spot of LARD. Salt & Pepper the meat, I believe I rubbed in Paul Prudhomme’s meat … well, rub.

Oh, the recipe said to boil the meat in water then put it in the simmered sauce. That sounded dumb to me so I simmered the meat in the sauce for about 2.5 hours. It worked GREAT. See?

Oh my, I’m getting hungry again.
Here’s the reciped if’n you ith interested.
NOW & LATER: Dinner tonight & 2 for the freezer
Turkey With Red Chile Sauce
Serve with warm corn tortillas.
INGREDIENTS:
16 dried red California or New Mexico chiles (see Notes)
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 peeled garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
4 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
One 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
3 pounds turkey legs (on the bone), skin removed
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove the stems from the chiles and gently pull of the tops, then tap them to remove most of the seeds. Discard the seeds and stems.
Heat a large skillet and add the chiles in a single layer to toast them. You may have to work in batches. (Turn on your stove’s fan and don’t breath in the fumes from the roasting chiles.) After a few seconds, turn over the chiles and continue to toast. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, add water to cover and set aside for about 20 minutes to rehydrate. Put the raisins in a small bowl and add about 1/2 cup water, or enough to cover. Let soak while you cook the vegetables.
Heat the oil in the skillet, then add the onion and saute for about 8 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, oregano and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain the chiles, then place them in a food processor with the raisins, raisin-soaking water and the broth. Process until smooth. Add the vegetables and puree until smooth. You may have to do this in batches; just make sure everything is fully pureed.
Put the turkey legs and sauce in a stockpot, and add water if necessary to make sure about two thirds of the turkey is covered with liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the turkey meat is easy to shred, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the turkey meat from the bone. Shred the meat and return to the sauce. Season with salt. To freeze, see Notes.
Serve with a pile of warm tortillas.
Serves 12
Notes: California or New Mexico dried chiles are large and dark red. They’re available in the Hispanic section of many supermarkets, and in Latino grocery stores. You may substitute guajillo chiles, which are slightly sweeter.
Freezing note: Portion into 4-cup containers (each serving is about 1 cup). Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve with fresh, warm tortillas. PER SERVING: 195 calories, 17 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 52 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.