Turcos Recipe | PBS Food Turcos Recipe | PBS Food PBS-search PBS-down_caret PBS-down_caret PBS-down_caret PBS-down_caret FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestTumblrInstagram

Step 1

DirectionsBoil 3 cups of water with anise seeds and 4 to 6 small cinnamon sticks, broken up, until the tea turns dark reddish brown. It may take more than 30 minutes. Add water as needed to make sure you end up with about one cup of dark reddish brown tea. Drain seeds and sticks and add sugar to hot tea to dissolve. Let it cool.Cover pork loin with water in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the meat is falling apart, about 2 hours. Drain and chop into small, minced pieces or grind in a meat grinder.In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter or margarine and add chopped meat over medium-high heat. Stir frequently. Add brown sugar or crumbled piloncillos. Add ground cinnamon, allspice, ground anise, ground cloves and nutmeg. Keep adding until you get the taste you like; it may take another 1 teaspoon each of the spices to make it just right. Add raisins, chopped pecans, mincemeat, and chopped apples or applesauce, if desired. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly. Cook until the mixture dries out and tastes good, about an hour. The mixture will turn dark brown. Set aside to cool.Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening and add tea until it is the consistency of bread dough. You may not use all your tea. Knead. Add extra flour if needed so dough is not sticky. Make into small balls, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, to roll out or press out in a tortilla press between two plastic sheets or wax paper, will be about 4 inches diameter. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each dough circle, fold over and crimp or press edges with a fork. Brush each turco with milk. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Step 2

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