Receta Posole
Posole
Do you know what hominy is? My mother served it when I was a kid and I was aware that it was some form of corn, but I never really knew what made a kernel of corn puff up into something that was two or three times its original size. As I developed the recipe for this post, my curiosity got the best of me and I did a little research.
As it turns out, the process of nixtamalization coverts field corn, or maize, to hominy. Nixtamalization involves soaking and cooking the corn in a lime or lye solution. The corrosive properties of the solution dissolve the hulls of the kernels and causes them to puff up. After processing, the kernels are dried and stored for packaging. To cook, dried hominy must be soaked overnight and boiled for a couple of hours. Canned hominy, which is readily available in supermarkets, is a convenient alternative and is ready to use.
For this post, I put hominy to good use in posole, a Mexican stew made from pork and this puffed form of corn. A bland food by itself, hominy absorbs the flavors of the spices and the richness of the stock as it simmers with the other ingredients and becomes a delicious addition to this stew.
Posole serves as a base for a variety of fresh garnishes. When topped with radishes, scallions, avocado, cabbage, cilantro, and carrots, this dish becomes a wonderful combination of stew and salad in one dish. It’s the perfect remedy for a bitterly cold winter night.
Ingredients
- For posole:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 to 3 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 15-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- For garnish:
- 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/4 white cabbage, thinly sliced
- 4 to 5 large radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Brown pork in batches and set aside.
2. Transfer onion to pot and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add oregano, chili powder, and cumin. Stir until well combined.
3. Add chicken stock, hominy, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat simmer. Add pork, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until pork is tender.
4. Place garnishes in small bowls. Ladle posole into soup bowls and serve with garnishes.
2.2
http://www.southernboydishes.com/2014/01/07/posole/
This entry was posted in Meat, Recipes, Soups and Stews. Bookmark the permalink.