Soup: Posole with Red Chile

By á-3151

The backbone of this bowl of New Mexican soul is large kernels of dried hominy, which need to be soaked overnight. This spin on the classic Mexican holiday fare might be the most delicious party food on either side of the Rio Grande.

Recipe by David Tanis

Photograph by Ditte Isager

Ingredients

• RED CHILE PUREE:
• 6 ounces dried New Mexico chiles
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 10 garlic cloves
• Kosher salt
• POSOLE:
• 2 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 pounds fresh ham hock (about 2 hocks)
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided, plus more
• 8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 pounds dried large-kernel white hominy (posole), soaked overnight
• 2 large onions
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• GARNISHES:
• Chopped avocado
• Fresh cilantro
• White onion
• Cabbage, thinnly sliced
• Jalapeños
• Radishes
• Lime wedges
• Ingredient Info:
• New Mexico chiles are sold at Latin markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets. Look for dried hominy at natural foods stores and ranchogordo.com.

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Red Chile Purée:

Preheat oven to 400°. Rinse and dry chiles; place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until puffed, fragrant, and a slightly darker red, 5–6 minutes. Let cool.

Wearing gloves, use scissors to stem and halve chiles lengthwise. Discard seeds for less heat. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 6 cups water. Add onion and garlic; season with salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook until chiles are soft, 25–30 minutes.

Drain chile mixture, reserving liquid. Purée mixture and 1 1/2 cups liquid in a blender until smooth, adding more liquid if needed for a sauce that can coat a spoon. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. DO AHEAD Purée can be made 5 days ahead. Cover; chill.

Posole:

Season pork shoulder and ham hocks with 1 tablespoon salt. Rub garlic, chili powder, and cumin all over pork; set aside. DO AHEAD Pork can be marinated 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Drain hominy. Transfer to a large heavy pot; add 12 cups water. Stud each onion with 1 clove; add to pot with 2 tablespoons salt and bay leaves. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered and stirring often, until hominy begins to soften, about 1 hour (hominy takes longer to cook than pork, so give it a jump start).

Add pork shoulder and ham hocks to hominy; pour in water to cover by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep ingredients submerged, until hominy is tender and pork is very tender and falling apart, 2–2 1/2 hours. Remove onions, bay leaves, and hocks. Discard onions and let hocks cool slightly; pick meat from bones and discard any cartilage, skin, and fat. Return meat to pot and stir in 3/4 cup red chile purée. Season to taste with salt and more red chile purée, if desired.

Divide posole among bowls. Serve with remaining red chile purée and garnishes.