State Bliss Blog

Thanksgiving is the time to enjoy some traditional season favorites. There’s the turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, gravy… and of course, a heaping basket full of abuela’s tamales.

While Thanksgiving may not be a Mexican holiday, it has integrated itself into Chicano culture, and this turkey is the epitomization of that fusion.

Made with Doña Maria Mole Original, this turkey comes with a depth of aromas and flavors your standard Thanksgiving bird is missing. It’s perfect to bridge together the sides of tamales and mashed potatoes that are sure to come with the annual tradition.

Everyone will be fighting for the two legs with the flavors going on in this bird. And even when the big holiday is all said and done, the leftover meat is going to make for some incredible recalentados.

This twist on a Thanksgiving turkey will be featured in Northgate Market’s upcoming holiday cookbook. But if you’re wanting to do a practice run or two before then, you can view the recipe, whose ingredients can also all be found at Northgate Market, below.

Ingredients

For the turkey
1 (13-pound) turkey, thawed, neck and giblets removed
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 white onion, quartered
1 navel orange, quartered
Salt & pepper

For the Mole sauce
1 (16.75 oz) jar Doña Maria Mole Original
32 ounces turkey stock
6 ounces Mexican-style chocolate
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 (15-oz) can whole roasted Roma tomatoes, strained
3 tablespoons raw shelled peanuts
3 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, divided
2 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

For garnish
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Fresh oregano
Small navel oranges
Lemons

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place turkey in a large roasting pan, and season inside the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with 4 tablespoons butter, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, and orange. Rub the remaining butter on the skin of the turkey on the outside, then season the skin with salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour until skin is golden brown.

Step 2

While the turkey is cooking, add the mole paste into a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey stock, chocolate, onion, garlic, and cinnamon. Bring everything to a boil and stir frequently to melt the mole paste and chocolate. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the mole paste and chocolate has dissolved. Remove from the heat, then fish out the cinnamon stick.

Step 3

Pour your mole sauce into the blender, and add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. This includes tomatoes, peanuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, cloves, anise, coriander, peppercorns, allspice, thyme, and oregano. Blend on low, as the liquid will be hot. Once all the ingredients are mixed, turn the speed to medium/high and continue to blend to a puree.

Step 4
Push the liquid mole sauce through a sieve into a large bowl. The sauce consistency should be velvety and yet thick enough to slowly run off a back of a spoon. Reserve 2-3 cups of mole sauce to serve with the turkey on the side, but use some to baste the turkey.

Step 5

Pour mole sauce over the turkey. Reduce oven temperature to 350° degrees and continue to cook, basting every 30 minutes for an additional two hours or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached.

Step 6
Transfer turkey to a cutting board and allow to rest. Carve the turkey, and serve with spoonfuls of heated mole sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Created in partnership with Northgate Gonzalez Markets.

Atole and its chocolatey cousin champurrado are commonly enjoyed during the festive winter months. If you want to get a jump on atole season, though, this pumpkin version is designed to be enjoyed during Fall.

For those who’ve never tried atole, the warm, masa-based beverage is the ideal comforting drink for the colder seasons. This version incorporates spices like cinnamon and star anise while mixing in pumpkin puree for an autumnal flavor.

One of the keys to this recipe lies in its sweetening agent, piloncillo. The cone-shaped “sugar” can be found at places like Northgate Market, and is an unrefined ingredient made from boiling and evaporating cane sugar juice. It’s flavors are key to bringing the atole to life.

You can view the full recipe to this fall-based Pumpkin Atole in Northgate Market’s new holiday cookbook, arriving in early December. If you want to make it ahead of then, though, check it out below.

Servings: 9-10

Ingredients
1 cup masa harina
6 cup water, divided
4 cups milk
1 cup pure canned pumpkin
2/3 cup grated piloncillo
1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean split
1 large hollowed pumpkin (approximately 11” wide), small hollowed pumpkins for cups (approximately 4-5” tall and wide)
Extra long cinnamon sticks, star anise and pumpkin pie spice for garnish

Directions

Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine masa harina and 2 cups of water. Stir well to avoid any lumps.

Step 2
In a large saucepan, combine milk, pumpkin puree, remaining water, piloncillo, pumpkin pie spice, turmeric and salt. Whisk together until piloncillo is dissolved. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Step 3
Slowly stir the masa harina mix into the saucepan, add the vanilla bean and bring back to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep simmering until thickened to desired consistency, approximately 5-10 minutes.

Step 4
Serve hot or warm in a large pumpkin punch bowl, using small hollowed pumpkins as mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick straw, star anise and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Created in partnership with Northgate Market

A Top Chef runner-up is bringing her dumpling game to a brand new Los Angeles food hall, including an exclusive wonton stuffed with mac and cheese that’s part of a limited collab.

Located at the new The Fields LA food hall in Exposition Park, Ms Chi is Chef Shirley Chung’s playground to transform Chinese-American dishes to new heights. One of the ways she’s doing that is with Mac N Cheese Wontons, stuffed with creamy, cheesy pasta and served with a spicy chili oil ketchup.

To celebrate the new food hall, just outside of downtown Los Angeles, and Chef Chung’s newest spot, she’ll be giving out these wontons through the Hubert’s Food Truck on Friday, November 9th, at The Fields. They’ll be paired alongside bottles of Hubert’s Blackberry Lemonade.

If you’re interested in trying out this spin on wontons for yourself, head to foodbeast.com/huberts for more information on how to get in on this exclusive culinary drop.

Photos by Pete Pham

Created in partnership with Hubert's Lemonade

Tacos are one of the eating vessels of choice when you’re in San Diego. Whether it be unique creations or straight outta a truck, tons of places are cramming their food inside of tortillas.

One of the more innovative ones is coming out of the minds of a local food star, who’s put together barbeque, mac and cheese, and tacos for a whirlwind combination of flavors.

This Smokey Pork & Mac Taco comes from the mind of Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien. A local and nationally recognized TV and online food show host, he has his own place, Not Not Tacos, where he brings his zany culinary creations to life.

For the taco, Zien brings together creamy mac and cheese, pulled pork, sour cream, Sriracha, and green onions for a zesty, creamy, and tangy bite.

If you’re interested in trying this taco out for yourself, it’s being given away on the Hubert’s Lemon A Go Go Truck on Saturday, November 17th, nearby SDSU. It’ll be paired alongside bottles of Hubert’s Watermelon Lemonade.

For more details on the giveaway, you can head to foodbeast.com/huberts.

Photos by Pete Pham

Created in partnership with Hubert's Lemonade

Fluffy bao combine with crispy chicken in an explosive combination of flavors in this handheld delicacy.

These Fried Chicken Kimchi Bao were created by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, who runs the greenACRE Campus Pointe restaurant in San Diego, California. His take on the fluffy bao bun adds levels of texture and taste with each component.

Malarkey starts off with double-breaded tempura fried chicken that’s tossed in a furikake seasoning. That’s topped off with a spicy aioli, kimchi, pickled Fresno chili, and some fresh vegetables for multiple layers of crunch. The sweet bao bun intermingles with the heat of the aioli and kimchi for a delicate and delectable balance of flavor.

If you’re interested in checking this item out, it’ll be given out for FREE via the Hubert’s Lemon A Go Go Truck, where it will be paired with bottles of Hubert’s Raspberry and Strawberry Lemonades. For more information on the giveaway, head to foodbeast.com/huberts.

Created in partnership with Hubert's.