RECIPES
Turco filling (Pork, fruits, and nuts)
In parts of Mexico, the word Turco, (which means Turk) is sometimes used to refer generally to people from the Middle East. As with so many other dishes, the influence from that region is obvious in this particular filling. Other than the addition of olives, it is identical to the first part our recipe for Old California Turkey Stuffing. It is a terrific filling for tacos, quesadillas, tamales, and chiles rellenos.Try wrapping some of it in a flour tortilla and topping it with a chile-flavored cheese!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
¾ pound ground pork
1 14 ½ ounce can tomatoes, drained
¼ cup juice from the tomato can
½ cup finely chopped pecans
1 ½ cups finely chopped mixed fruits, including pears, apricots, apples and raisins
½ cup green manzanilla olives, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 cups Pepperidge Farms dried cornbread stuffing, or a similar product
1 stick melted butter
Directions
1. Saute the onions and garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the onion until it is soft but not browned. Add the garlic and cook one additional minute, stirring constantly.
2. Cook the pork. Add the pork and continue cooking, stirring and chopping with the spoon to break up the meat, until it has just cooked through.
3. Add and cook the tomatoes, fruits, olives, nuts and spices. Add the tomatoes and juice from the can, then add the pecans, fruits, olives, thyme, marjoram, sage, and the salt, and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon until most of the juice has either evaporated or thickened, about 10 minutes.