Red Posole

This is another one of my favorite dishes that I was introduced to while living in New Mexico.  It a traditional Mexican dish, but very prevalent in New Mexico.  I found out from Homesick Texan, that it is often served on New Year's day in New Mexico.  For me, summer makes me think of posole, since I was living in New Mexico during the summer.

I actually really like hot, spicy food in the summer.  It seems like I shouldn't.

I also am obsessed with all things brothy.  I love broth!  BTW, this tastes better and better the longer it sits in the fridge as leftovers.  

I made posole all the time while living in New Mexico.  Posole is a soup made up of pork, hominy and lots of spices.  If you have never had hominy, I highly recommend it.  It is kind of like a corny bean.  They are actually just big corn kernels that have been treated in such a way that the skin comes off and they sort of explode.   It results in a really nice texture.  You can buy them dried or canned.  They have them at the grocery stores here in Colorado, but I am not sure if they are available everywhere.  I would guess that they are available at most grocery stores.

But, this is by far the best recipe I have used.  And I love the vague directions like "cook for a couple of hours".  My kind of recipe!  

Red Posole

from Homesick Texan

1 pound of dried posole or two 29 oz. cans of hominy, drained

1 pound of pork shoulder, cubed

1 medium onion, diced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of lard, bacon grease, corn or canola oil

8 cups of water (can substitute part with beer or chicken broth for more flavor)

1 smoked ham hock

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (can substitute regular oregano)

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

9 New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Juice of one lime

For serving:

One avocado sliced

One lime cut into wedges

1 cup of cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup of diced onion

Tortillas and tortilla chips

If using dried hominy, soak the hominy a gallon of water for at least eight hours until it’s doubled in size.

In a large pot, heat up the lard and cook the onion for 10 minutes. Add the pork and brown on each side for a couple of minutes. Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Pour the water into the pot and add the ham hock, oregano, cumin, ground cloves and ancho-chile powder. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer.

Meanwhile, take your New Mexican chiles and cook on high in a dry cast-iron skillet until the pop, a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add water to the skillet and let the chiles soak until hydrated, about half an hour.

Drain the chile-soaking liquid, and place the chiles in a blender. Add one cup of water and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed. Stir the chile puree into the soup pot.

After a couple of hours, add the hominy to the pot along with the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. At this point, adjust your spices and add salt to the pot. Continue to cook on low for a couple more hours.

Pour into bowls and serve with diced onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, avocado slices and tortillas or tortilla chips.

(Servings: 8, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 4-6 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

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