Posole rojo is a rich red chili broth with shredded pork and hominy. A colleague of mine has brought it to work a few times, given me a recipe and now I'll give it a shot. I won't follow her recipe to the letter, as I've looked up a few versions on line.
The stew gets it's name from the Hominy - a large kernel dried corn which has been soaked in slaked line to remove the skin and germ. It has been used by Native American cultures for a long time and it is common in southern and Mexican cooking.
Here is my take based on a combination of recipes. You could use chicken for a lighter dish.
Ingredients
4 lbs more or less of pork - shoulder or country style ribs ( the meat shouldn't be too lean)
3 15oz cans of hominy drained and rinsed
1 bunch of cilantro tied
10 cups water
1 to 1.5 heads of garlic peeled and divided
1 tsp oregano
1 large white onion - quartered (plus 1/2 cup more chopped for chili mixture)
5 whole peppercorns
2 oz dried New Mexico Chilies - (wiped off)
2 oz dried ancho chilis - (wiped off)
2 tsp salt
2-3 Tbs oil
Directions:
In large pot add the pork and the water. Bring to a boil. skim off any scum, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add cilantro about 20 cloves of garlic, quartered onion, oregano, salt and simmer uncovered until pork is very tender - about 2 hours.
While the pork simmers, put a kettle of water on to boil.
Stem and seed the chilies.
Roast the chilies in a dry cast iron pan over medium heat until they get a little softer and the color changes slightly.
Transfer the chilies to a bowl and pour 2.5 cups boiling water over the top, cover bowl with a plate and allow to soften for half an hour.
Puree the chilies with 1.5 cups of the soaking liquid the chopped onion, 5-6 more cloves of garlic and 3/4 tbs salt in a blender until a smooth paste forms.
In the heavy pan you roasted the chilies in, heat oil over medium heat. Add the chili puree (careful! it may spatter) cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; it will thicken up. remove from heat and set aside.
When pork is done simmering (2+ hours) remove pork to a platter, strain broth into large enough container to hold it all. Discard the cilantro and peppercorns.
Transfer the garlic and onion with 1.5 cups of broth to a food processor or blender and puree.
Pour the broth and puree back into the large pot.
Shred the pork and discard the bones - add the shredded pork back to the broth.
Rinse and drain the hominy.
Add the chili puree and the hominy , stir well, simmer for 30 more minutes - or a few hours.
Serve hot with fried tortilla strips,
diced avocado, shredded lettuce, lime wedges, or diced onion as garnish.
This is a satisfying if time consuming dish. Perfect for a cold and damp day!
Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!
The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener
