Organic Turkey Carnitas
A delicious Mexican-inspired recipe to use up leftover cooked turkey, cranberry sauce and brussel sprouts from Christmas Day.
Organic Turkey Carnitas
A delicious Mexican-inspired recipe to use up leftover cooked turkey, cranberry sauce and brussel sprouts from Christmas Day.
- Serves: 4
- Prepare: 20 Minutes
- Cook: 30 Minutes
- Difficulty: easy
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC TURKEY?
From late summer our slow-grown turkeys live in large, airy barns that open on to green downland fields. Every day they can follow their natural instincts in this free-range environment - pecking at the grass and bales in the fresh air, enjoying a high quality, organic feed (a mix of wheat, barley and oats).
Ingredients
Christmas Leftovers
- 600g cooked organic dark turkey meat, roughly shredded
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- juice of 1 large orange
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 dried chipotle chilies, soaked in hot water and roughly chopped
- salt/pepper
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 2tbsp vegetable oil
For The Cranberry Salsa
- 1tbsp cranberry sauce
- handful coriander, finely chopped
For The Pickled Brussel Sprouts
- 8-10 raw brussel sprouts, finely sliced
- tsp caster sugar
- 2tsp salt
- 1tsp black peppercorns
- pinch chilli flakes
- 120ml water
- 120ml white wine vinegar
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- juice of 1 lime
Method
Christmas Leftovers
- Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large casserole pot on a medium heat and add diced onion. Sauté till onion begins to soften and then add garlic, bay leaves and chopped chipotle chilies. Continue to stir till soft and translucent
- Add orange juice to the pot along with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- Add the torn cooked turkey to the pot, stir to combine and add enough water to cover the turkey mixture halfway
- Bring to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes till the meat is tender and falling apart. Discard the bay leaves and check the seasoning
- Heat a heavy-based cast iron pan and heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium-high heat till the oil is shimmering
- Add the braised turkey meat to the pan in an even layer and allow to cook without moving. This will allow the base to form a crisp and browned layer. Continue this step until all the turkey is crisp and golden. Check the seasoning
- Serve turkey carnitas on corn tortillas with cranberry salsa, pickled brussel sprouts, avocado and coriander
For The Cranberry Salsa
- In a small bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce, lime juice, red onion, coriander and salt
- Check and adjust seasoning as preferred
For The Pickled Brussel Sprouts
- To a small pan add vinegar, water, sugar, salt and bring to a gentle simmer till dissolved
- Add finely sliced sprouts, chilli flakes and peppercorns to a bowl or jar and cover with the hot pickling liquid
- Leave to cool to room temperature and chill in the fridge for 1-hour minimum
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC TURKEY?
From late summer our slow-grown turkeys live in large, airy barns that open on to green downland fields. Every day they can follow their natural instincts in this free-range environment - pecking at the grass and bales in the fresh air, enjoying a high quality, organic feed (a mix of wheat, barley and oats).
Frequently asked questions
-
Turkey is an exceptionally lean meat, both turkey and chicken are healthy choices. A turkey breast has slightly less protein than a chicken breast, but both meats are high in protein, low in calories and fat, making them great additions to a healthy balanced diet.
-
Organic turkey is made of several butchered cuts that come from a turkey reared in an organic certified system. There are several organic bodies in the UK who can offer this accreditation such as the Soil Association & Organic Farmers and Growers. The standards set by these bodies will affect the husbandry, birth, life, slaughter and processing of an organic beef animal. Every standard must be met and is audited at least annually to ensure this is the case.
-
There are a number of studies that suggest organic turkey is a healthier option – higher in Omega 3, Amino Acids and Healthy Fats. There are also several other reasons why choosing organic turkey is a good idea. They range from the contribution of organic turkey to climate change, animal welfare and the use of pesticides and medicines used in the farming of conventional turkeys having a detrimental effect on our health. We work with farmer Ed Walters - the Walters Family have been farming at Bower Farm, high on the Berkshire Downs for over 110 years. They have over 50 years’ experience of producing the highest quality fresh organic turkeys purely for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Like us, they are passionate about the welfare of their animals. Ed carefully rears slow growing traditional Bronze turkeys for us, an old-fashioned breed that provides a bird with fantastic flavour and even coverage of meat. The flavour of the bird is made even better by slow growth to natural maturity.