Posole

Posole recipe Posole is a traditional Mexican dish from the pacific coast region of Jalisco. A thick soup that's usually made with pork, hominy, garlic, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, and broth.

My neighbor Debbie found this recipe in a great looking cookbook that she just lent me called The Feast of Santa Fe by Huntley Dent.

What is Hominy?

If you remove bran (also known as the pericarp) and the germ from a kernel of corn, you are left with the endosperm or sometimes called hominy. When the hominy is ground, we have what is commonly called "hominy grits", a popular dish in the south.

Notes: 2/28/99 - My wife and I made this last night for some friends and came up with some additional ideas. We didn't add the optional jalapenos because we mistakenly purchased a couple of milder Anaheim chili peppers.

One of our guests suggested roasting them on our gas stove, slicing them, and adding them to the Posole. Great idea. Added another layer of flavor.

The next night we had the Posole leftovers and it was tastier than the night before which leads me to suggest you make this dish the day before you are going to serve it. Not a conventional idea but how many times have you had leftovers that were better than the first night?

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs. pork shoulder
1/2 onion stuck with 2 cloves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
5 peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
oregano, pinch
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 cups canned white hominy, drained and rinsed
3 to 5 cups pork broth from cooking pork shoulder
1 cup canned chopped green chilies
Salt to taste
2 whole jalapenos, canned or fresh, chopped (optional)

This recipe requires a simple prep. Prepare the onion with the 2 cloves, peel the garlic, chop the onion, peel and chop the 2 garlic cloves, chop the green chilies and jalapenos if you are using them. Drain the hominy rinse. Now you are ready to start cooking.

Place the meat in a large saucepan and just cover with lightly salted water. Add the clove studded onion, 2 cloves peeled garlic, peppercorns, cumin seed, and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat, skim off any foam that rises, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove meat and broth, reserving both.

Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add the remaining spices, stir for a minute. Cut the reserved pork into 1 inch cubes and add to the pan. Stir in the canned hominy, pork broth (if there is not enough pork broth, add chicken stock), green chilies and jalapenos (optional).

Cook at a simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat and hominy are tender. If necessary, cook for up to an additional 60 minutes until the chilies and onions are well blended into the broth. Degrease the stew, taste for salt, and serve in soup bowls.

This is a delicious recipe and well worth the effort to make.

READER'S COMMENT:

Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007
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Name: Deneen

Comment: I was just looking at your posole recipe, and thought I would suggest a few things that I like to garnish mine with that make a world of difference. I have enjoyed this dish since my mom learned to make it from my dad, as a kid, we always added fresh lemon to our bowls, along with diced white onion. Since having lived in Mexico and buying this on the street, now I also add fresh shredded cabbage, a little fresh chopped cilantro and always serve it with warmed corn tortillas. It is now one of my husbands favorite dishes, and I make it at least once a month. I hope you like it!

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