Ancho Turkey and Mustard Greens Enchiladas

To make the sauce, heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chiles and toast for 30 to 45 seconds, then turn them over and repeat. Watch carefully because you just want to add a nice toasty char to the chiles without burning them. They will puff up a bit and that’s what we want to see. Transfer the chiles to a medium pot and cover with 1 1/4 cups (10 fl. oz./310 ml) of the hot stock; set aside.

Reduce the heat under the fry pan to medium and add the olive oil, followed by the white and red onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook until barely aromatic, just 10 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender.

Add the toasted chiles along with the infused stock, the cilantro, tomato paste, vinegar, lime juice, oregano, salt, cumin, paprika and pepper to the blender. Add the remaining 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) stock and blend until the mixture is smooth and incorporated.

To make the enchiladas, bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the mustard greens to the boiling water and blanch until softened, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the greens to the ice bath and let cool for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water from the greens.

In a large fry pan (you can use the same one you used for the sauce) over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the turkey and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mustard greens, stock and salt and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the greens are tender and deep green, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) of the ancho chile sauce and let cool completely.

When you are ready to assemble the enchiladas, preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish with a little olive oil.

Evenly spread 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) of the ancho sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add 1 to 2 Tbs. of the turkey-greens filling to the center of a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, stacking the filled tortillas next to one another in the baking dish as you go. (You may have about 1 cup/8 oz./250 g of the turkey-greens filling left over; save it for another use.) Evenly pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas, top with the cheese and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the cheese is melty deliciousness, 5 to 10 minutes more.

To serve, garnish with red onion, tomatoes and cilantro. Serve it up family-style, with crema, avocado and lime wedges on the side, if desired. Serves 4.

Notes: If you can’t find mustard greens, which have a unique, hard-to-imitate flavor, you can sub in kale, but the flavor profile will change.

To reheat leftover enchiladas, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a baking dish with a little oil. Place the enchiladas in the dish, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes, uncovering the dish for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

Adapted from Everyday Grand by Jocelyn Delk Adams with Olga Massov (Clarkson Potter, 2023)