Kodenn ak Sos ( Haitian Stewed Turkey).....so juicy, so flavorful... the perfect addition to your Su
Ingredients:
3 & 1/2 pounds of Turkey wings ( cut into Small/Medium Pieces)
I typically like to ask my butcher to split the drum part of the wing down the middle then slice it into small / medium pieces. I do this because I love when the Savory gravy gets inside of the bone and I'm able to suck the juices out.
Cleaning the turkey will require
3 lime or 1 large Sour Orange
2 tbsp salt
1 cup white vinegar
6 cups of hot boiling water
1 extra Large bowl
Cleaning turkey is not as labor-intensive as cleaning chicken leg quarters, but it does require cleaning. Start with defrosted turkey wing that have been cut by your butcher into small / medium pieces. Empty turkey wings into a large bowl, rinse turkey wing with warm water then drain water. Using a very sharp knife or sheers snip/cut off the flaps that are on the side of the turkey wing ( pictured belove).
Also remove any visible fat.......this is where cleaning turkey wings and clean chicken leg quarters differentiate. There is virtually no fat on turkey wings, you more so want to focus on removing the extra long flaps/skin. After removing the flaps add additional slits into each piece of meat (picture below).
After adding the slits rinse your hands and put your pot on th stove with the 6 cups of water adn allow ith to come to a boil with you continue cleaning the meat...... Take your lime and cut them in half, squeeze the lime juice over your meat then take each piece of meat and individually rub each meat with the lime making sure to squeeze the juice if the lime in between the slits of meat as well ( picture below). When rubbing the lime against the meat BE VIGOROUS, not gentle.
Make sure to rub the joints into the center of the lime and twist assuring that every inch / surface of the meat makes contact with the lime.
When you're lime half doesn't appear to have any more juice in it, use a new lime half...make sure to use all three entire limes.
Once you've cleaned each piece with lime, pour your 2 tablespoons of salt over the meat and mix vigorously.
Once you've mixed the salt into the meat pour your vinegar over the meat and mix thoroughly.
Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes. After sitting for 1 to 2 minutes pour your hot boiling water over the meat, stir using a wooden or slotted spoon to assure that the hot water is evenly distributed throughout each piece of meat and let sit for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
After the meat has sat in the hot water for 1 to 2 minutes drain the hot water well ( be very careful when draining the water because it is still very hot) . After draining the water Rinse meat once again with hot water and drain ( there is no need to let the meat sit in the hot water for 1 to 2 minutes the second time....the second rinsing is simply to remove any of the grease or fat that was not rinsed away with the first hot water soak ).
Now that you've drained the water we will now move on to the next step of adding our Epis/Seasoning
Ingredients for marinating meat overnight
1 cup Epis ( recipe for epis is below)
1 stem of fresh thyme
1/4 tsp accent
1/2 crushed bouillon Cube
Now that you've thoroughly cleaned your meat and drained it of the hot water add the ingredients above and mix thoroughly assuring the season gets into every crevice of the meat. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid and marinate overnight
Cooking/Boiling Turkey
After meat has marinated overnight, transfer meat to your pot. Add 4 1/2cups of warm water to the bowl you use to marinate your meat and swirl water in the bowl to pick up the rest of the marinade then pour water into pot over the meat.
Boil on high for 25 minutes partially covered (be sure to stay in the kitchen and monitor the meat. Do not go lay down and watch a movie , stay close to the kitchen because you do not want to risk burning the meat).... The first 25 minutes of boiling is to really help the seasoning to become super concentrated and get into every crevice of the meat and for the flavor to get into the bones... allowing the meat to boil for 25 minutes until the water has nearly disappeared is what will help "The Acid" get into the bones of the meat. (In my Haitian family we have a habit where if you put a well-seasoned piece of meat in front of us "For example chicken or turkey" and not only is the meat seasoned well but the seasoning gets into the bones as well, Ohhh my goshhh! I kid you not!!.. We will eat every part down to the bone... it's the best part.. there's nothing like a juicy bone!! Am I lying??)
Let it boil until the liquid has practically reduced to nothing, it is imperative that you stay in the kitchen to monitor the pot so that the meat does not burn..
2nd boil...
The second boiling is to make the meat is tender and has enough liquid to create a gravy....
After the first boil of 25 minutes you'll notice that the water has reduced quite a bit, almost completely gone... That is exactly what you want, doing it this way will help the acid to really permeate your meat and give it that good flavor. Once the water has reduced, stir meat in pot then add 6 1/2 more cups of warm water and boil for remaining 35-40 minutes on medium high, partially covered.. As I said earlier this second boiling will make the meat super tender and the water will boil long enough to slightly thickened so that you can make a rich gravy later on.
IMPORTANT!!
During the last ten minutes of boiling if you see that the water has reduced too much then add 2 more cups of warm water, just enough warm water to cover the meat and boil for remaining 10 minutes ( the reason for adding just enough water to cover the meat towards the end is to assure that you have enough gravy to drizzle over your rice or to eat with your plantains and potatoes)
Once the meat has boiled the final 35-40 minutes, remove pot from stove and set aside. Using a pair of tongs or slotted spoon fish out the meat from the liquid and set meat aside on a plate... Then prepare your oil for frying... Fry your meat until it's golden brown... Be very careful during the frying process, frying turkey is not as scary as frying griot, but due to the fact that the meat is freshly out of the liquid and there's still skin on the turkey it will cause the meat to pop while in the grease... So take extra precaution when frying the turkey. Fry the turkey on a medium/ high heat (more so closer to the medium)... you can also use the "broil method" in your OVEN to give the turkey that golden brown color.
Once you've fried your meat set it aside on a plate with paper towels to suck up the oil...
Now let's move on to making your gravy.
Making Gravy/Sós
On medium heat to your pot with the turkey liquid simply add
2-3 tbsp of tomato paste( start with 2 tablespoons, if it doesn't reach the desired thickness add 1 additional tablespoon of tomato paste)
1 tbsp butter
Let simmer for 5-7 minutes until tomato paste has melted into the Sós/Gravy. You'll notice that once you've added the tomato paste the gravy will start to thicken. After 3-5 minutes of simmering, TASTE YOUR GRAVY, if it is not spicy enough for you at this point you can add half Scotch bonnet pepper .....then add your fried turkey to the gravy and let simmer with lid on for an additional 4-7 minutes on Medium.
(Start with 2 tbsp Tomato Paste, if you feel the consistency of the gravy is not thick enough for you then add one more tablespoon)
Next: After simmering for 4-7 minutes add your garnishing then TURN STOVE OFF immediately
Garnishing
1 medium Onion Sliced (NOT DICED, .... but SLICED)
1 small Red Bell Pepper julienne sliced
1 small Green Bell Pepper julienne sliced
Add your sliced onion, sliced red bell peppers and sliced green bell peppers directly over the turkey and gravy and cover with a tight-fitting lid immediately. Turn stove off immediately. Do not boil or simmer the garnishing... Most Caibbeans like the onions, red bell peppers and green bell peppers to have a slight crunch to them, not raw... But a slight Crunch... And turning your stove off and letting the steam soften them just a little gives you the perfect consistency that Islanders like.
Epis mix for seasoning turkey:
To your blender/food processor add:
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
3 scallions
An entire head of peeled garlic 12-14 pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves
1/2 tbsp salt
Juice of one lime
3 tablespoons white vinegar
10 stems of parsley "leaves only! Not the stem"
1/2 of a Maggi bouillon Cube
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup diced onions
3 sprigs of fresh thyme "leaves only! Not the stem".
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until slightly smooth/chunky ..... ( use ONLY 1 cup of this mix for marinating your 3 1/2 pounds of clean turkey wings, save the rest of the Epis in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid in your refrigerator to use for other meals)
Pair your Haitian style Stew Turkey "Kodenn Ak Sós" with fluffy buttery white rice and Sós pwa...or enjoy it with boiled sweet plantains and boiled potatoes...or enjoy it over a bed of Diri Djon Djon ( Haitian black mushroom rice)
Enjoy, Live C.C.Q❤