Christmas Lunch - Mexico Style
After last years hugely delicious and successful Spicery Bollywood Christmas lunch, this year for inspiration we headed to Mexico, where Turkey actually originates, where there are rich pickings for spices, and moreover where Christmas is obviously a huge celebratory period. Alice came up with a menu using Mexican twists on traditional roast turkey (you can find some of the recipes in our Mexican fiesta night) with a whole load of trimmings, featuring numerous Mexican chillies that offered not just a touch of heat but richness and deep flavour too. This was followed by a croque-en-bouche vs Mexican churros dessert that was dubbed the 'Churros Boca Crisis', while James supplied Micheladas for the more adventurous tipplers, a Mexican beer cocktail spiked with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and chilli, and with tamarind paste around the rim of the glass.
Top photo: Turkey legs frying.
Bottom photo: Sliced roasted turkey breast
The main event had the roasted turkey crown rubbed under the skin with an orange, lime, chipotle and ancho chilli butter before roasting, while we removed and boned the legs, then gave them a dry rub with more chilli along with cumin, allspice and cinnamon before frying them skin side down for extra crispy skin. This had the added advantage of meaning our Turkey breast wasn't overcooked while the legs cooked separably.Cranberry salsa picante and arbol chilli flakes
Charred sprout and lime salad ready to mix
Chipotle Albondigas frying
Alongside the turkey we served a red mole sauce with ancho and passilla chillies thickened with pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as our chipotle albondigas (meatballs) wrapped in bacon, roasted sweet potatoes, charred sprout and lime salad, pickled red onion and red cabbage and a sweet spicy cranberry salsa picante made with tiny piquin chillies for extra heat. We also had toasted arbol chilli flakes to sprinkle for those who like extra heat. The Churros Boca Crisis just about wiped us out... a huge pile of aniseed and allspice churros with vanilla chestnut cream and cinnamon chocolate sauce, but there wasn't much of it left by the end.Everyone at lunch
It really was a hit with everybody and we are already looking forward to next year! Merry Christmas!Recent Posts
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