Pozole, mio... I always break into song whenever making this dish. It's that opera song, "O Sole mio" that Luciano Pavaratti sings, but I only sing the chorus because pozole mio fits so well. I don't really know it, but I like just that part of it. Ok, moving on.
This is my mother-in-love's recipe. I have a book that's about 10 years old that has a number of recipes in it that I wrote down while cooking with her. So it's straight from the heart of a Mexican Mama's kitchen.
She's told the story that in her first month of marriage, she never repeated a dish. THAT is a feat, and it's a lot of cooking.
Ingredients:
Pork--Loin, leg, foot (this is up to you)
Onion
Garlic
Chile Guajillo
Salt
Water
Here in the bottom of my deep, deep pan, there are cut up parts of pork, selected based on our own particular likes. These are pork loin, and leg. You could add feet, but some of my family are not fond of it, so I don't add it. Adding parts with bone is important, because the marrow and bone add a different dimension of flavor and it is very good for you. (If it comes from healthy animals!)
Cover with water and while it's heating, get your onion and garlic ready.
Add salt, onion, garlic.
Here's a secret in how to open garlic. Press it with a knife and then slide it out of it's paper skin. Really simple.
I've quartered my onion, but it's really not necessary to go as fine, since it's going to get pulled from the pot anyway. While the meat is cooking (we let it boil for a couple hours), get your chiles ready.
Chile Guajillo preparation. This is a 3 ounce bag. Use the whole thing. Take off the stems, slice them open and pull out the seeds. There is a little vein that runs down the middle, remove this portion as well. Remember that it is a chile and do not scratch your nose or your eyes. (Been there, done that.)
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| Chile Guajillo |
After the chili pods have reconstituted, put them in the blender with some of the water, to make a thin paste. Add this to the pot of meat while it's cooking so that it permeates the meat.
Get a mega can of Maiz blanco, another name for pozole or hominy. This one is six pounds, 12 ounces, but who's counting?
Canned hominy is more delicate than starting with dried hominy. There are a couple more steps involved when using that and I'm not going to address it here. It's much more involved and involves taking off the husk using "cal".
Just add at the very last 20 minutes of cooking so that they won't fall apart.
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| Hominy... or the "Pozole" |
This is thoroughly cooked and comes apart easily.
While all the meat and Cabbage ready to serve. This does not get cooked. It goes on top of a prepared bowl of pozole, along with chopped onion and limes.
I like to shred my pork before eating.
Add chopped onion on top with the chopped cabbage, add limes and a pinch of oregano. Salsa is a great addition, if you want more kick. After you serve a bowlful, individuals can choose to eat it as a soup or take out the meat and pozole and put it on a tostada shell. Drizzle it with some cream and add shredded cabbage, cream, and salsa.
We will oftentimes eat it both ways from the same plate. I must tell you, though, this is a dish that tastes better with age. Coming back for "el recalentado" (the reheated leftovers) the next day is even tastier as the flavors have had more time to mingle.
This plate is ready to serve, each individual gets to pick how much onion, oregano, and limes are added on top. More lime changes the flavor and reduces the picosito--the spiciness. It isn't nearly as spicy with lots of lime.
You could pair this recipe with the
Onions Cooked in Lime Juice instead of chopped onion on the side. As a matter of fact, I made the onions cooked in limes just for pairing with this meal.
Buen provecho!
Labels: Dinner, Hominy, Lunch, Pork, Pozole
