Vegetarian Posole (Hominy Stew)

I think it is time to talk about Scot's sense of humor.  For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of witnessing it first hand, I thought I would give you a taste of some of his jokes, specifically relating to food:

1.  Tastes chocolate frosting, "Ganache that's good."

2.  Whenever I make couscous, "I need to get to school early tomorrow, couscous I have to print something before class."  In general, replaces "because" with "couscous" for about a week.

3.  Any dish with thyme, some reference to time, usually, "How much thyme does this take?"

4.  "Avocado"="Have a cow doe"

And while I was making this soup, I had the empty can of hominy sitting in the sink and there was a small piece of hominy sitting next to it on the countertop.  And he made some joke about the piece of hominy relating it to the phrase..."Peace and Harmony".  It was such a bad joke, that neither of us can even remember what it was.  

Every once and while, he comes up with something that is enough of a stretch that it is actually really funny to me.  But usually, it is so bad that I am just glad no one has to witness it and force a courtesy laugh.  


Speaking of Scot, he declared this soup a 10 after the first bite.  I feel obligated to tell you that sometimes I think Scot is an emotional rater of food.  And he ate this after coming off a "curling win high".  Not that I disagree with his rating, this is a delicious soup.  What makes it special is the smoked paprika and ancho chile powder, spices that really can't be replaced.  The smoked paprika, especially, gives the soup a smokey flavor and makes it taste like bacon.  It is also full of veggies like hominy, black beans, and butternut squash.  I actually left out the butternut squash (not by choice) but I have no doubt that its presence would make this soup EVEN better.

Vegetarian Posole (Hominy Stew)

from Sandy Gluck, cohost of “Everyday Food” via The Radio Blog

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 cups peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks butternut or other winter squash

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced

11/4 teaspoons ancho chile powder

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup canned plum tomatoes in puree

Coarse salt

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into wedges

1 lime, cut into wedges

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the squash, bell pepper, jalapeno, chile powder, oregano, and paprika and stir to combine. Add the hominy, black beans, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt.

Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, about 25 minutes minimum, but the longer the better. Top with cilantro and avocado and serve with lime wedges.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 45 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  10/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort: 2/5