Mexican Pozole

By Pattywak

If you have tried Pozole before, you know it is a tasty, filling, and above all, a nutritious soup. We usually eat this soup for dinner, and it’s a classic dish in Mexican Fiestas during the cold nights of winter. It is a favorite dish that must show off at the “Noche Mexicana” Fiesta this Independence day. Nothing more Mexican than a Pozole!

The original Pozole is made using dried Hominy and the pig’s head and neck bones. Dried hominy (hulled and dried kernels of corn) adds an incomparable corn flavor to this soup, but canned hominy is commonly used as a substitute. We are using canned hominy in this recipe since it is available at the supermarkets here in the States and buying dried Hominy and pig’s head meat is hard to find. This recipe is for a red pozole, even though in Mexico we also have white (with out the red sauce) and green pozole adding Salsa Verde. And yes, you can use chicken instead of pork for the soup if you prefer.

Note: Pozole can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, it taste even better, and it also freezes well.

Ingredients

• For the red sauce:
• For 6 generous servings and hopefully some leftovers :)
• 4 quarts of water
• 2 pounds cubed pork shoulder.
• 1 pound pork spare ribs or baby back ribs
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 white onion cut in quarts
• 8 large garlic cloves
• Salt to taste
• 5 Guajillo peppers cleaned, seeded, open flat, and deveined (buy dried)
• 5 Ancho peppers cleaned, seeded, open flat, and deveined (out of pkg of dried)
• 6 Garlic cloves
• 1 medium white onion coarsely chopped
• 2 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry Mexican oregano
• salt to taste
• For the Garnish:
• 1 Head of lettuce finely shredded
• 1 1/2 cup of onions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup of radishes sliced
• Ground Chile Piquin to taste
• Mexican oregano
• Deep fried Corn tortillas (Tostadas)
• Limes, cut in wedges
• Optional : Avocado chopped

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Heat water in a large stock pot. Add onion, salt and pork meat and spareribs . Salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer, partially covered for 2 and half hours or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. While cooking, skim top layer of foam and fat from the pot using a ladle. If necessary, add warm water to maintain the same level of broth in the pot.

Remove pork from broth; reserve broth. Trim excess fat, and remove meat from bones; discard bones, onion and garlic from the broth. Shred meat, and cover.


Now for the sauce, soak the ancho and guajillo peppers in water just enough to cover for 25-30 minutes until soft.

Blend peppers using a blender or food processor with garlic cloves, chopped onion and oregano adding some of the water in which they were soaking. Puree mixture until smooth.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the dry pepper puree and salt to taste, stirring constantly as it splatters. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, about 25 minutes.

Using a strainer, add the sauce to the broth. Bring to a boil and add the meat, and simmer gently, for about 10 minutes. Stir in white hominy, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through.

Serve Pozole in large soup bowls and place garnishes on the