Pozole can be largely prepared in advance of a party, except for the raw vegetable accompaniments. It is served in bowls. Not for a formal-style gathering. Good for brunch on cold mornings, or for people with a cold. The recipe may be doubled or tripled to serve from an electric roasting pan (they vary in capacity), but the weight could strain the handles of the roaster if lifted. Transport part of Pozole (especially liquid) in a separate container.
CHICKEN POZOLE
Ingredients
One family-pack chicken thighs (about 5 pounds)
Chicken broth or water
One very big can of Mexican-style hominy - about 3 Kg or almost 7 pounds
One 8-oz. package dried pods of Chile California or similar very mild chiles
One 2-oz. package dried pods of Pasilla, Pasilla Negro or Pasilla-Ancho chiles (optional)
Garnishes (see below)
Chicken and Broth: Simmer chicken thighs in enough water and/or chicken broth to cover, until tender but not falling apart. Remove from broth. Cool, remove skin, bones and visible fat and cut chicken into chunks. Strain chicken broth, mix some warm water with the skin and bones and strain into broth. Skim fat from broth. If making ahead, it will be easier to remove the fat from the broth after refrigeration.
Chile Puree (Red Sauce): Tear off and discard stem ends of chiles. Tear in half lengthwise (or break very dry chiles into pieces). Remove as much of the central seed membrane as can be done without too much work and shake out loose seeds. Tear each chile into several pieces. Sometimes chiles are toasted at this point, but I learned to make this dish without toasting the chiles. Pack chile pieces into a large saucepan, cover with water, cover pan and bring to a boil. Remove covered pan from heat, setting aside for 30 minutes to soften and cool chiles.
When at least cool enough to leave your hand on the bottom of the pan, process chiles and part of the liquid in a blender or food processor until skins are reduced to about 1/4 inch chunks, or until smooth. Work sauce through a coarse sieve to remove skin and seed fragments. Or use a food mill or berry press to remove the seeds and skins. You may add the remaining liquid or some water to the skins, stir and strain again. Discard skins. Chile puree may be prepared the day before and refrigerated, or up to a couple of weeks in advance and frozen.
Final Preparation: Heat broth and chunks of chicken meat in a large kettle. You can also use an 7 or 8-quart slow cooker turned to high heat, but heating and simmering will take longer. Drain, rinse and add hominy to chicken and broth. Add chile puree and salt to taste. You should have leftover chile puree (red sauce). Many recipes call for 4 ounces of dried chiles to make puree for this much hominy and meat. The packages above should make enough sauce for 2 big batches unless you serve additional red sauce as a garnish. The red sauce can also be used to flavor other dishes.
Add water and/or additional chicken broth to bring Pozole to a soupy consistency. Adjust salt and simmer to blend flavors, for at least half an hour. The hominy swells as it simmers, so you may need to add additional water, broth and/or chile puree later. Refrigerate or freeze extra chile puree.
To Serve: Ladle into serving bowls and serve with these garnishes:
- A big bowl of thinly shredded or finely chopped cabbage (with tongs for adding cabbage to the Pozole). I think pre-packaged Angel Hair Coleslaw (cabbage only) works very well.
- Finely diced red or white onion (offer minced scallions for more sensitive tummies or when available onions are very strong)
- Lime and/or lemon wedges (or lemon or lime juice)
- Sliced or julienned radishes
- hot pepper flakes, reserved red sauce and/or hot sauce
- dried whole oregano to rub over individual servings as desired.
Notes, including directions for Pork Pozole
The cabbage, onion and/or scallions and citrus are mandatory accompaniments. Other garnishes are optional but may be expected. Minced cilantro and/or Italian parsley are not traditional garnishes for this dish in winter in many regions, but are often offered. Sometimes shredded iceberg lettuce is substituted for the cabbage and avocado is offered. I don't know if these are traditional, however.
I learned to make this style of Pozole from a friend who grew up in Michoacán. Many of the people who live in our little town are from this state of Mexico. This state includes mountainous regions where it freezes in winter, so cilantro is not available then. This state also includes wintering grounds for Monarch butterflies.
PORK POZOLE
In our little town, Pozole made with pork butt or pork neck and a pig's foot is common at Christmas-season family gatherings. You may also use pork in the recipe above. Pork shank and Boston pork butt are common choices for this size recipe. Four or 5 pounds of lean country-style spare ribs (not real spare ribs) is an easy choice. Cut into large chunks before or after simmering in water or broth until tender. Cool meat enough to remove visible fat and any bones. For buffet-style Pozole, shred meat with two forks.
In some recipes, the pork is cut into one inch or 1 1/2 inch chunks and browned before simmering, adding some minced garlic at the end. Rubbed oregano or coriander and a bay leaf may be added to the liquid as the meat simmers. In some regions, the cook may add garlic cloves, cumin and/or a little ground allspice to the red sauce as it is placed in the blender to be pureed. Garlic, cumin and oregano will make the dish taste more like chili. Coriander is the seed of cilantro, but has a different flavor. I have made pork pozole with bay leaf and a little coriander added to the meat, and liked it. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Our friend Rosie likes to add some dried Pasilla chiles with the traditional dried California chiles. I believe that the name "Pasilla" refers to the wrinkled appearance of the dried chiles (like a raisin). You could also try Ancho/Poblano chiles, which are sometimes smoked while drying. Here, one popular choice is called "Pasilla-Ancho". These may be dark Ancho peppers, but I'm just guessing. Any of these will give a deeper color and more complex flavor to the dish. None of them are very spicy. We have used a 16 oz. bag of Chile California and an 8 oz. bag of Chile Pasilla-Ancho to make red sauce for a season's worth of Pozole. Chile California is a red, dried version of the Anaheim Chile. It is very similar to New Mexico Chiles, but milder. Guajillo chiles are also used for Pozole, often in combination with one of the others above.
Sometimes we see red hominy (made from red corn) in big cans this time of year, too.
In Mexico, various raw or cooked vegetables (and other accompaniments like chopped hard-cooked eggs) are also offered when other kinds of soup are served, so diners can add the ones they like.
Allergy information: Contains corn.
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