Mexican Pasta with Turkey
I love corn. Real corn, that is, not high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, dextrose, maltodextrin, and all the other hundreds of processed corn products in our food today. Real corn is corn on the cob and corn chips and cornmeal…and things made with those, like roasted corn and chips and salsa and Indian pudding. And, in this case, corn pasta tossed with fresh salsa, leftover turkey, and a bit of Parmesan cheese (queso fresco would have been better, but I didn’t have any on hand). Why not apply an Italian idea — pasta and sauce — to Mexican ingredients? Not only does fusion cuisine make for innovative and tasty dishes, it’s also often a convenient way to re-purpose leftovers.
Mexican Pasta with Turkey
Prepare corn pasta according to package directions. (You’ll probably find corn pasta — and other pastas made from non-wheat sources such as rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth — in your local health-food store or in the gluten-free section of a standard grocery store. Some ethnic stores will also stock non-wheat noodles — Japanese soba is made entirely from buckwheat, for example. Using these un-typical pastas is a great way to make more authentic ethnic meals and it’s a fun way to experiment with bringing new flavors to an old dish.)
Toss cooked pasta with salsa (either homemade or a store-bought “fresh” style), chopped cooked turkey, and a sprinkling of cheese. You may want to base your cheese choice on how spicy your salsa is. (Monterey Jack with jalapeños might be a bit much if your salsa is fire-hot.) Or you might want to punch up the overall flavor by using a pungent, creamy goat cheese. Diced green onions and/or cilantro would make a nice garnish.
!Buen provecho!
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