Mexican Pozole (Hominy Soup)

Pozole (poh-SO-lay) is a traditional pre-Columbian soup from Mexico. A brothy soup base is made from pork (or other meat, such as chicken), then hominy or garbanzo beans, chile, and other seasonings are added. Pozole can be prepared in many ways, but all variations include a base of cooked hominy in broth. The broth is most commonly made with chicken or pork, but vegetarian preparations exist.

The three main types of pozole are blanco (white), verde (green), and rojo (red). Pozole blanco—"white pozole"—is the preparation without any additional green or red sauce. Pozole verde—"green pozole"—adds a rich salsa verde based on green ingredients, possibly including tomatillos, epazote, cilantro, green chiles (typically jalapeños or serranos), or pepitas. Pozole rojo—"red pozole"—is similar, but using a salsa roja made from one or more dried or smoked red chiles, such as guajillo, piquin, or ancho, and usually tomato.

An important part of the dish is the garnish. Fresh shredded cabbage lends a nice crunch, as does radish and fried corn tortilla chips. Avocado and sour cream cut the heat and fresh cilantro and lime juice add the finishing touch. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), rojo (red), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole (sweet corn, squash, and meat).

FMM: I made this with 1 pork chop and 1 can of hominy. I had to guess how much of everything else to add. Basically, pozole is just a chile spiced broth with hominy and meat in it. I cut the pork chop into small pieces as I am not fond of large pieces of meat in soups anymore; I prefer to get some of everything in the soup in a spoonful, not just a piece of meat. This worked well for me. The broth was flavorful and the hominy nicely cooked through. The garnishes are definitely a must! because otherwise you are just eating broth and hominy. I added a squirt of lemon, sliced radishes, sour cream and homemade fried corn tortillas, fried until crisp, the first night because that is what I had. I really liked the sour cream and tortillas and wished I had avocado to add in. I read that you should have a lot of broth in pozole soup so there is plenty of room for add-ins. The idea seems to be that the person eating the soup adds the vegetables and other add-ins to the soup when it is served, unlike American soups which cook the vegetables in the soup. After visiting the Mexican grocery store, besides the tortillas, sour cream and radishes, I added shredded cabbage, avocado, and a squirt of lime, and the soup was then excellent. What a difference! 1 pork chop and 1 large can of hominy made about 4 servings.

Pozole Recipe

Place the pork shoulder in a large soup pot (you can cut it into chunks so it cooks faster) and just cover with lightly salted water. Add the chopped onion, 2 cloves peeled garlic, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat, skim off any foam that rises, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove meat and broth, reserving both.

While pork is simmering, wearing protective gloves, remove stems and seeds from the ancho chiles and in a bowl combine chiles with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, 30 minutes. In a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid.

Briefly saute the chopped garlic in oil in the soup pot. Add the remaining spices and salt, stir for a minute. Cut the reserved pork into 1 inch cubes and add to the pan. Stir in the canned hominy, pork broth (if there is not enough pork broth, add chicken stock), green chilies (optional), jalapenos, and ancho chili purée. Cook at a simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat and hominy are tender. If necessary, cook for up to an additional 60 minutes until the chilies and onions are well blended into the broth and the meat is tender and falling apart.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the garnishes.

Degrease the stew, taste for salt, and serve in soup bowls with the garnishes.

Serves 10