Salbutes de Pavo (Turkey)
This Mexican specialty from the Yucatan is topped like a tostada but the tortilla base is thicker and puffed. The salbute is normally identified with a topping of picked onion. It’s fried and stuffed or topped with shredded seasoned turkey, chicken or cochinita (pulled pork). The meats are prepared wit a variety of spice mixtures. Choosing to sauté shredded turkey in mole negro is an easy preparation. Mole is a rainbow of spices that can include up to 20-30 ingredients. Fear not, there are excellent selections of good commercial moles, and that’s what I use in this recipe.
If you use leftover roasted turkey skip the preparation step for cooking turkey breast. Let’s get started.
Ingredients
Makes 6-8
Turkey
1.25 lbs turkey breast
1 large carrot
1/2 small onion
1 large stalk celery
1 leaf laurel
6-8 peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 quart water
Mole
3 ounces store bought mole
1 cup turkey or chicken broth
Pickled red onion
1 small red onion sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 limes juiced
water
Masa
2 lbs store-bought prepared masa (or make from masa harina)
salt
water
Preparation
Turkey
Rinse the turkey, place in a pot along with carrot, onion, celery, laurel, peppercorns and salt. Cover the ingredients with water to about several inches above the ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the turkey is cooked. Remove the turkey, cool, shred and set aside.
Pickled Onion
Place the sliced onion is a bowl, add salt and juice from 1 ½ limes, stir/toss and set to rest for 15 minutes. Add 1½ cups hot water and rest for 15 minutes. Rinse with water and add the juice of ½ lime. Refrigerate until plating.
Mole
Place the mole paste in a sauté pan. Use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to breakup the mole paste and add chicken broth in small amounts to achieve the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Simmer for 4-6 minutes to thicken the sauce then mix in the shredded turkey. Set aside.
Salbutes
Place all the masa in a bowl, lightly sprinkle with salt and add 1 tablespoon of water. Hand mix in the ingredients. If needed, add additional water until the masa is pliable but firm. Break off pieces of masa to roll into small balls of 1 inch diameter. Keep them under a damp towel to prevent them from drying.
Cut two 8×8 inch plastic sheets from plastic bags to be used for pressing out the salbute.
Heat a cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan hot enough for frying.
Place the masa-ball between 2 sheets of plastic and press them in a tortilla press to a thickness of 1/8 inch. If you don’t have a tortilla press use any flat surface to press out salbutes. Begin to fry the salbutes as you finish pressing them. Fry and bast the salbute for 1 minute (no need to turn over). Basting the top of the salbute with the hot oil while frying ensures they puff out nicely. Drip out as much oil before placing over paper towels to eliminate excess oil.
Top the salbute with turkey, pickled onions and cilantro and serve.
Note
Making salbutes is similar to making tortillas. Salbutes are thicker and fried, while tortillas are pressed thinner and cooked over a comal (or pancake griddle). Short of time? Substitute store bought mini tostadas.
Buen Provecho
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