Pozole

NOTE: I updated this a bit - see details in the Pozole Revisit post.
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Pozole is a stew made from hominy corn (aka pozole or posole), and pork in a base of red chile sauce, and there are a million recipes out there.  Here's one more :-)

To a large soup pot, add:
- one recipe of Julie's Red Chile Sauce
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4* cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 lbs lean pork**, in 1/2 inch cubes
- 12 oz dried posole corn+++, soaked overnight and rinsed,
   or
   25 oz can*** hominy corn, rinsed and drained
- water to cover
- salt to taste

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours (+/-), stirring occasionally.  I like it best after it has simmered all afternoon with the lid off (Rick likes it a bit soupier).

Last Christmas eve, I followed tradition, and made this - I left it on the stove while we went out to view the lights, and had dinner waiting when we got back!

* you can also use chicken, or a combination
** I have been adding more and more garlic! And I like it very coarsely chopped.
*** I (originally) tried this with dried hominy, and didn't notice a significant difference. The directions I used said to boil, rinse, repeat *several* times, which was extremely time consuming and wasteful. After the water ran clear, the corn had to be cooked 2 hrs, until it "popped" - all that was not worth the slight difference (a bit chewier) to me.  Another approach I have seen that I have not yet tried is to soak the dried hominy overnight, then rinse and cook till it pops. I will probably try that. Apparently, frozen pozole is also available, but I haven't looked too hard for it.
+++ UPDATE: I have since tried a new process with dried hominy, and am now firmly in that camp :-)

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This dish is available all *over* New Mexico. In California, it is often a special at Mom and Pop Mexican restaurants.
Usual garnishes include minced onion, chopped cabbage, lime wedges, sliced Jalapeños, avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and tortillas.

Julie's Red Chile Sauce

A long time ago, I called Mom's work to ask her to bring home some enchilada sauce (yep, canned). She wasn't available, but a lovely woman who worked with her started to take the message.

Heh. When she heard what I wanted, she said "Oh, no, no, no! Just make it from scratch!" And she gave me a recipe :-)

I've since moved to New Mexico, land of chiles, and have modified it somewhat (tho, really, not much!).
The key thing to keep in mind are the ratios: equal parts of flour, chile powder, and oil.

 Mix
- 4 spoons of flour
- 3 spoons mild red chile powder
- 1 spoon hot red chile powder
- 1 spoon dried, ground cumin

Heat 4 spoons olive oil in a pot or deep pan on medium high.  When "waves" appear in the oil,

stir in the powder a bit at a time. It should bubble.

I like a French whisk for this. Make sure to avoid the fumes.

When all the powder is stirred in, cook and stir a bit more to toast it. (If you've made roux, this is a familiar process)

Stir in several cups of water, mixing out any lumps, and avoiding the steam (seriously, avoid it!).

Reduce the heat to low; let the sauce cook to thicken and reduce, stirring occasionally.  Between stirs, there will likely form a skin - just stir that back in.

This makes a fantastic base for chili, pozole, enchiladas, carne adovada, and...

Adjust the ratio of hot / mild to taste.
Add salt to taste.

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Of course, you can always opt for the pre-made stuff (I have this, but haven't tried it...)

ABQ Snow

We're having quite a swing from our 70° weather of a couple of weeks ago!  This week is all about our much-needed precipitation.  

And today is all about staying inside and making pozole! :-)