Turkey Wing Pupusas

Rachel makes pupusas a few times a year, and every time she makes them, I remember how much I love eating them. I'm also astonished by how quickly they come together. Masa, water, and a little lard, and you have the foundation to make pupusas. 

We usually fill our pupusas with some pressure canned venison and some added seasonings. This is purely out of convenience, especially this time of the year, when we spend long mornings in the turkey woods and evenings working in the garden. But recently, while I was breaking down some turkeys, I set the wings aside and decided to braise and shred them instead of keeping them whole.

I braised the wings with some dried chilis, cumin, and oregano. Then I shredded the meat and sauteed it with some aromatics. Tacos were the plan, but halfway through I remembered the pupusas from a few days before and dinner took a detour. 

We filled the pupusas with the turkey wing meat and some queso fresco, fried a handful, and proceeded to inhale them with some sour cream and hot sauce. The queso fresco and herby seasoning gave these pupusas a lighter taste and texture than the pupusas we usually make with heavily seasoned venison and melty cheese. 

You can use thighs or legs instead of the wings, just be mindful that the cook time will differ. Thighs will take less time, legs will take more. Also, don't be skimpy with the filling, you'll be surprised how much you can sandwich between the dough. Make a lot of these- you won't regret it. 

Turkey Wing Pupusa Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 4 hours

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Braised turkey wings:

2-4 turkey wings

2 bay leaves

1 dried guajillo chili pepper

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp oregano

1 lime, halved

Pupusa filling:

1-1 ½ cups pulled turkey wing meat

¼ cup onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of 1 lime

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp thyme

2 tbsp lard

Pupusa dough:

1 cup masa harina

1 cup water

1 tbsp lard, room temp

Method

Braise the turkey wings:

Season wings with salt, sear over medium high heat to brown both sides. Place in a crockpot with remaining ingredients. Cover with water. Cook on high for 4-6 hours until fork tender. Remove from the crockpot, allow to cool enough to handle. Remove skin, and separate meat from bones.

Make the pupusa filling:

In a saucepan over medium heat, add lard, onions, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, add in remaining ingredients and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Make the pupusa dough:

Pour masa into a mixing bowl, slowly add water and mix until well incorporated. Add in lard and mix again. Add additional water or masa in small amounts as needed to achieve a soft play-dough texture.

Make the pupusas:

Form two ~3 tablespoon balls of masa dough, flatten out and form a divot in the center. Add ~1.5 tablespoon of the meat filling, and some queso fresco to center of the dough. Flatten second ball of dough and place over the top of the filled dough. Press edges to seal. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Cook in a lightly oiled heavy bottomed pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.