POCTLI

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RECIPE: Pozole

Trevor Baca

POZOLE

/po'sole/

Classical Nahuatl:

Noun

  1. hominy, pozolli

Pozole is a dish served all over Mexico and has many variations. My family makes this nearly every Holiday season and the hearty stew is sure to bring warmth back to a cold winter day. My recipe takes the best parts from my aunt's version of pozole and has been refined using French cooking techniques. The double straining through a fine mesh strainer makes all the difference in the broth. You can use dried or canned hominy, but if you want more control over the texture of the corn, spend the extra effort in soaking the dried kernels over night.

Pozole rojo

Serves 6

Ingredients:

FOR THE POZOLE

  • 2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 4 large pieces

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1/2 white onion

  • 5 garlic cloves

  • 3 guajillo chiles

  • 2 ancho chiles

  • 3 puya chiles

  • 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 cup dried hominy (presoaked overnight) OR 1 8oz can prepared

  • salt to taste

FOR THE GARNISH:

  • lime wedges

  • shredded cabbage

  • sliced radish

  • cilantro

 

Method:

  1. Place the pork, bay leaves, and 1/4 of the onion, and 3 cloves of garlic in a pot. Cover the meat with water (roughly 8 cups) and bring to a boil. Skim the impurities off the surface of the boiling water and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the meat is able to pull apart.

  2. While the meat cooks, toast the chiles on a comal for roughly 1 minute until fragrant and smoking, but not burnt. (The soup will be bitter if the chiles are burnt.) Soak the chiles in water, cover and allow the chiles to reconstitute for 15 minutes. Deseed and de-stem the chiles and place in blender with 1/4 onion, 2 garlic cloves, oregano, cumin, and 1 cup of water. Blend for three minutes and then pass through a mesh strainer. Heat the olive oil in a pot on low heat and cook the chile paste for roughly 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a dark shade of red.

  3. Remove the meat from the stock and chop into bite size cubes. Strain the stock through a mesh strainer and then a second time through a fine mesh strainer. Add the stock to the chile mixture and stir to blend. Add the pork and hominy and heat on low until the oil seperates out. Salt to taste. Serve with garnishes and fresh tortillas.