November 28th - posole party

I have been wanting to make posole (a.k.a. pozole) since earlier this year. After enjoying it repeatedly at this fabulous establishment I became somewhat obsessed. I went so far as to pick up a couple packages of dried hominy and some New Mexico Chilies at Jungle Jim's, but when warmer weather (and the CSA, see my last post) came along I tabled the idea. Almost as soon as October was over, though, I looked at my calendar, as well as the date of the Greenacres pork harvest, and started planning.

After settling on a date (I knew it would be a project so Thanksgiving weekend seemed logical) and inviting friends I sat down and studied multiple recipes (see below). I started with the New York Times recipe as the base for mine. After a good half a day of posole-based internet research and synthesis I swung by Mazunte and picked some of the good stuff for Jonathan and me (for research purposes!).

Studying the dish in this light solidified what I already knew: posole is all about the broth. Mazunte's is a rich, thick, densely flavored broth that I just want to live in. After the broth it's all about the hominy and after the hominy I would venture to say it's all about the Mexican oregano. What it's not all about is the actual meat in the soup (pork in my case, chicken and pork in Mazunte's case).

This is my Mazunte copycat, and may not reflect other posoles, but I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! It is an all-day project (not including soaking the hominy overnight)!

Posole Rojo
Adapted from Simply Recipes, New York Times, Pati's Mexican Table, Homesick Texan, Culinate/Rick Bayless, and Food Network Kitchen (primarily)
Ingredients
Soup

• 1-11/2 lbs dried hominy (I used 30 ounces, which I think is a little too much), soaked overnight in water (I soaked for 11 hours) 
• 4 ounces dried red New Mexico chilies
• 4 lbs pork shoulder, most of the fat removed and cut in 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt (plenty)
• 9 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. Mexican oregano 

Garnishes - don't skimp!

• Lime wedges
• Roughly chopped cilantro
• Mexican oregano 
• Chopped/sliced avocado
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Tostadas (Note: I prepared mine by coating corn tortillas in canola oil with a brush, placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and baking at 350 for 5 minutes, then flipping and baking for 3 more minutes. They should crisp up.)
• Finely diced white onion, soaked in ice water (to mellow the flavor) (Optional) 

Directions

• Drain soaked hominy and place in a large (like 3-4 gallon) stock pot with 4 cloves of garlic. Cover with about 6 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 hours with the lid tilted, until tender. The hominy may "bloom" (burst open). (Note: I noticed that my hominy cooked unevenly, but the next steps took care of this problem. Feel free to cook yours longer if you experience this). Allow the hominy to cool in the water until you are ready to add it to the soup (this was 4-5 hours for me). It will continue to soften.
• Pat the pork dry and season with salt. Brown in a couple tablespoons of oil in a large (like 3-4 gallon) pot over medium heat. Work in batches so as not to crowd the pork. Add 5 minced garlic cloves near the end of the last batch and cook for a minute, until fragrant. Add 5 quarts water, pork bone, 1 tbsp. salt, bay leaves, 2 tsp. oregano, onion, and cloves. Simmer, partially covered, until the meat in very tender and the broth is very flavorful, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Allow the meat to cool in the broth (I cooled mine for about 3 hours on the counter) and skim as much fat off the top as you can. (Note: I like to use a spoon to skim the fat into a glass, then I skim this glass into another glass and return the broth from the first glass to the pot). Remove meat from broth and remove any remaining fat from the meat. Remove bay leaves and cloves if possible.  
• Once the hominy and the broth are going toast chilies in a cast iron skillet in batches until just fragrant. Slit lengthwise and remove and discard stems and seeds. Put in a saucepan and cover with water brought off the boil. Weight with a plate or bowl to keep them submerged and allow to soak for about 30 minutes, until hydrated. Puree in a blender with 2 cups of the soaking liquid. Strain out the tough solids and discard.
• Combine broth, hominy, and chili puree, plus 2 tbsp. salt, and simmer for 3-4 hours or longer. Add salt (you will need a lot) and liquid (I added 2 cups hominy-soaking liquid) as needed. The broth should reduce and be very flavorful and the hominy should be tender and flavorful. If not, keep simmering.
• Add meat shortly before serving.
• Serve with the garnishes. Crumble the Mexican oregano between your fingers as you put it in the soup. Break up the tostadas. 
• Invite some friends/family to share posole, or freeze some for later!