Turkey Taquitos

What to do with leftover roast turkey is a legit question. Usually there is some. Sandwiches are nice but after a day or so, not so appealing. Hash is also good. Soup works. However, when it comes to Ala King, I'm not as sure. So I am offering another choice, a taquito with cheese, red onion and cilantro added. Yum Yum eat 'em up!

Turkey Taquitos
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 inch corn tortillas
shredded cooked turkey
shredded cheddar cheese
minced red onion
chopped cilantro
Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, add one tortilla at a time and cook on each side for 10 seconds. Remove to paper toweling and cook additional tortillas. (1/2 cup oil will cook at least 12 tortillas.) Assemble taquitos by placing approximately 1 1/2 tablespoon turkey meat, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 teaspoon onion and 1/4 teaspoon cilantro on the side of one tortilla. Roll up tightly and secure with a toothpick. After you have assembled 5 or 6, heat a small non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Place taquitos toothpick side down into hot pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn with tongs and cook another side for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn twice more and cook 3 or 4 minutes each side. Remove the toothpicks before serving. Serve hot with refried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, lime wedges, etc,

Hints: Pre-cooking the tortillas is necessary as they tend to crack and fall apart if you don't. And just heating them up doesn't help as much as frying them. They really will hold together best with a quick fry. The oil is hot enough if you can hold the edge of a tortilla in it and it begins to bubble pretty hard around the edge. If the oil is not hot enough, the tortilla will be very greasy and not usable. If it is too hot, you will end up with a chip, which will not roll around the filling well. You can use the same skillet for pre-cooking the tortillas and for frying the taquitos, making this a one pan meal. Or you can use a bigger skillet if you are cooking quite a few. Of course you can use chicken or pork or beef in place of the turkey; any poultry, meat or even fish, as long as it is already cooked. Freeze shredded poultry and use this way for a quick meal. The taquitos will brown due to the oil on the tortillas. The cheese will melt and the onion will soften a bit. A good addition would be some red pepper sauce on the filling but be sure you are serving them to people who like the heat.

Like I always say, a day with a taco (or in this case a taquito) is better than a day without a taco. Pork, chicken or beef, it's all good! I am going to try these taquitos with some shrimp I have in the freezer. I'll let you know how that turns out.