Sunday, February 4, 2007

Posole


There seems to be a debate as to whether is a or a . Most people here seem to think of it as a soup. In New Mexico, where I lived for 12 years, it's considered a stew. Posole has it's roots in Mexico, to be sure, where it is served as a soup. The soup is made with a special type of , which has been slaked (soaked) in a solution of lime. Treating corn with lime to remove the tough skins was probably a technique the early Meso-American cultures passed on to the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. This corn, called posole, is the basis of a dish by the same name, which is made of and .


Posole comes in several colors, depending upon the type of used. Some people use green chili. We always used red chili in New Mexico, but my husband told me that the first time he had posole, it was pure white. Pure white or not, the heat of the chilis used in that posole was enough to make one diner literally scream, and burst into a spontaneous sweat! So posole comes in the colors of the Mexican flag - red, white and green.


If you live in a place where you can obtain the dried, treated corn, you can start by soaking it overnight in water. You will want to change the water after a couple of hours, and then change it again in the morning when you wake up. Then you can cook it by bringing it to a boil in salted water, turning down the heat and simmering it for a couple of hours, or until the corn is soft. You will want to change the water once during the cooking.


Alternatively, you can buy a can of posole. They can be found in the Mexican food section of most grocery stores. (At least, here in the west they can. I don't know about the east coast. If someone wants to let me know, I'd be interested.) I've used them and found them to be an acceptable substitute.


You start by cubing some pork. You can use pork chops, a pork roast, or whatever version of pork you might have on hand. Depending upon the size of the can of posole you are using, you will need enough meat to have your final stew be slightly more than 1/3 pork to 2/3 hominy. If you wind up with half and half, that's fine.


Chop a large onion, and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Put some oil in a large, heavy pot and sautee the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent - about 3-4 minutes. Add the meat and cook on medium high heat, turning often. Reduce your heat and add red * to taste. I never measure, but I'm assuming I use at LEAST a couple of tablespoons. But remember, I like my food spicy! So you might want to start out with less, depending upon the heat of your chili. You can always add more if it's too tame.


Stir the meat until it is coated with the chili, and then add about 2 cups of chicken broth, depending upon how much meat you've got. At this point, I throw in a healthy dash of oregano and a well rounded teaspoon of cumin powder, as well as some kosher salt. (Didn't all the early settlers have kosher salt?) If you are starting with the dried posole, you will want to add it before it's done cooking on it's own. If you've been cooking it for 45 minutes, you can add it at this point and let it finish it's cooking with the meat. You will also want to water - not the water you've been cooking it in (you want to make sure you don't have any of the lime in your final dish.) If you are using canned posole, you can cook the meat for about 40 minutes on it's own, before adding the posole. When you add the posole, remember to add water. If you want this to be a stew, add enough liquid to make it a stew, not a soup.


Cover and simmer on low for at least an hour and a half. I usually wind up cooking it for at LEAST an hour and 45 minutes, because I get busy doing something else. Or maybe because it just needs more time. No matter which version of hominy you use, it will need time to cook. Your nose will tell you when it's getting close to being ready. Test it by tasting a piece of the hominy. It should be soft enough to chew easily, but not mush. I don't think I ever ate it with avocado when I lived in New Mexico, but I recently started chopping some on top and I love it that way!


Posole is considered a dish that brings good luck. It's often eaten on New Year's eve, but it's also eaten any time one needs a little extra luck. Kind of a nice touch, don't you think?


*Red chili powder is not the same as the stuff they sell in grocery stores as "chili powder", which has things other than chili in it. I'm talking about the plain, dried red chili powder. I get mine from Hatch, New Mexico, which is famous for it's terrific chili. I try to take a vacation in the fall and drive to New Mexico, stopping off in Hatch to stock up on my chili. It's very rich in . Perhaps it was the early settler's secret to surviving the winter cold and season?


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For anyone not familiar with Fresh Approach Cooking , or MeleCotte , you should check them out. Rachael is one of the most talented food writers and food photographers in the blogosphere, and Pebbles has just joined in World Nutella Day. (Who can blame her?) Also, don't be shy. Visit Food Porn Watch . Great recipes, food events and food blogger map.

10 comments:

Chris said...

This sounds so satisfying! And Good luck? Bring it here!

Thanks for the shout out! Have a great week -
~ Chris

Toni said...

Thanks, Chris. For some reason, technorati doesn't seem to know which blogs are linked to mine. A friend of mine in Mass. gave me a shout out and voila! Technorati discovered that her blog was linked. So I decided that I'll do that for others.

You have a great week, too!
Toni

Kalyn Denny said...

My parents used to live in New Mexico, and my dad loves this dish!

Unknown said...

This dish looks like comfort food to me and if it brings a little luck, well, even better. I've never seen Posole in the grocery stores here in Philadelphia, but I'm going to keep an eye out so I can try this recipe.

Toni said...

Kalyn...I this dish can easily become addictive - especially in the winter!

e - Please let me know if you can find the posole. Sometimes all they'll carry are huge cans of it. Don't let that intimidate you - it freezes very nicely! (Besides, what a great excuse for a party!)

Toni said...

e - don't know why it doesn't come up, but i have a link to your blog on my blog. Why doesn't technorati understand this? I even posted a comment about your blog with a link to it. Don't know how to get technorati to figure this out. Got any suggestions?

Linda said...

sounds delightful. thank you so much for sharing it. its interesting how surround cultures are incorporated into our American cultures! i love it. i don't know much about southern dishes, but would like to learn.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

I enjoyed learning about posole. Food always tastes better when you know a little about its history and culture.

Susan from Food "Blogga"

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Hey Toni!

Wanted to let you know that I explained "meme" back at my site for you. Well, sort of. Hope it's clear.

I just noticed the link to my site. Thank you so much, and thank you for the compliments.

Susan from Food "Blogga"

Rachael Narins said...

OMG. You know me, I don't normally go in for the cussin' but lordy that is one damn fine photo! Land sakes and Lord alive, you are an artist! Well, we knew that, but heavens Toni, that is awe inspiring! Gush-gush-gush.

Xoxox
-rachael