This weekend my mother flew in from California, and that means two things: Cooking and Scrabble. Due to the snow which is shortly to be falling outside, I decided to heat things up and make some posole. Traditional posole is made with pork, however we prefer chicken instead. A multitude of changes can be made to make it your own [ie: black beans, tomatoes, different chilies and spices] This recipe we threw together in no time!
Puree
¾ cup boiling water
1 oz (4-5) dried new mexico chilies – butts removed
1 jalapeño – de-seeded and butt removed (Use 2 jalapeños if you like a bit more heat!)
¼ cup cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
4 cloves garlic
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Broth
1 tbsp corn oil
½ medium white onion – finely chopped
4 cloves garlic – minced
4 cups low sodium broth
4 cups water
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
2 large chicken breasts
30 oz hominy
Toppings of your choosing (ie: tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, red onion, olives, hot sauce, etc.)
In medium sized bowl, place the dried chilies and pour boiling water over them. Cover with a dinner plate to keep in the steam. Let the chilies soak for about 30 minutes.
Pour chilies and soaking water into a blender and add the jalapeno, cilantro, limejuice, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Blend until a thick puree is reached; similar looking to tomato soup and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the corn oil and add the onion and garlic; sauté for a minute or two, and then pour in the broth and water. Add all of the spices (and anything else your little heart desires) and bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chicken breasts (whole) in the boiling pot and turn the heat off. Place the lid on the pot and let sit for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken breasts and shred or cube to your liking.
Pour the pureed chili mixture into the broth along with the chicken. Bring the soup to a boil and then add the hominy. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Top with EVERYTHING under the sun…
Needless to say, the soup turned out fantastic. The simple flavors with not-too-much spice made this recipe a warming and comforting meal.
Beautiful photos. Looks yummy! So many of my favorite flavors all in one recipe. I'll have to try this with black beans in place of the chicken. NO CHICKEN FOR ME, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteSweet baby greens... What can I say? I of the virtually vegan persuasion.
ReplyDeleteI think you are going to find the Wikipedia entry regarding posole to be most interesting, if you haven't already seen it--and I'm guessing you have not.
Be sure to check out the entire article. In the meantime, here is an excerpt:
"Since corn was a sacred plant for the Aztecs and other inhabitants of Mesoamerica, pozole was made to be consumed on special events. The conjunction of corn (usually whole hominy kernels) and meat in a single dish is of particular interest to scholars because the ancient Mexicans believed that the gods made humans out of cornmeal dough. According to research by the National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in these special occasions, the meat used in the pozole was human. [4] After the prisoners were killed by having their hearts torn out in a ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped and cooked with corn. The meal was shared among the whole community as an act of religious communion. After the conquest, when cannibalism was banned, pork became the staple meat, as it "tasted very similar", according to a Spanish priest.[5]
Food for thought? I surely think so.