June 2019 • Nebraskaland 19
PHOTOS
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
for 6-8 hours or until meat becomes
tender. Remove meat from bones and
finely shred. Remove all pin bones.
2. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon
of olive oil over medium heat. Add
grated onion and cook for 2-3 minutes,
or until softened. Then turn up heat
to medium-high and then add the
shredded turkey meat with chopped
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and
tomato paste. Sauté until meat is
warmed through and slightly toasted.
Take off heat and add chopped
cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Add
more spicy adobo sauce from the can
if desired. Set meat aside.
3. In a skillet, heat 1 to 2 teaspoons
of vegetable/corn oil over medium
heat. Lay corn tortillas into the warm
oil and flip back and forth to warm
through; warming the tortillas in oil
helps to moisten it, which prevents it
from cracking when assembling tacos
later. Stack warmed tortillas in a bowl
and keep warm. Add more oil to the
pan as necessary.
4. Fill warmed tortillas with about
2 tablespoons of the shredded turkey
mixture and fold over the tortilla,
gently pressing down the taco to
encourage it to keep its shape. Lay all
assembled tacos on a cookie sheet.
When done, place the cookie sheet in
the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm
up tacos.
5. In a cast iron skillet, heat enough
oil to 350 degrees to shallow fry tacos
– do not fill your cooking vessel more
than 1/3 of the way up to prevent oil
from boiling over. Once oil is heated,
gently drop cold tacos into the oil and
fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side; do
not overcrowd the pan and be careful
of splatter. When crispy, remove the
fried tacos with tongs and tip to drain
out excess oil. Rest on paper towels.
6. Once tacos are cool enough to
handle, carefully open up the tacos
without cracking the spine, and fill
with shredded romaine lettuce and
cheddar cheese. Serve with your
favorite hot sauce.
