Friday, April 17, 2015

My riff on pozole

Updated 11/30/2022 to add oregano, bay leaves, and chicken bouillon. 

Ingredients:

1 lb pork sirloin chops or pork tenderloin, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 cup Anaheim or Hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chipotle chili powder (can reduce to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 25-30 oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 8oz can tomato sauce (I use El Pato which is a spicy tomato sauce)
8 or more cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 head chopped cabbage or cole slaw mix
Lemon juice to taste (I use about 1/4-1/2 lemon per bowl depending on size of lemon)

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large pot or Dutch oven, Brown pork in pan, 5 min.
2. Add onion and saute 3 min.
3. Add garlic, chiles, chili powder, cumin, pepper, oregano, and salt and saute 2 min, stirring constantly.
4. Stir in chicken bouillon, hominy, tomato sauce, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Add more water as required to maintain soupy consistency, somewhere between a soup and a stew. 
5. Remove from heat and serve.

To serve, put 1/4-1/2 cup of shredded cabbage in each bowl. Fill with hot pozole, then add lemon juice. Eat as-is or top with tortilla strips, cotija (or feta) cheese, and/or sliced raw radishes. Can also be served over hot cooked rice.