“Mashed potatoes yeah, yeah. yeah!” Meatloaf, too, and plenty of gravy, thank you very much! Mac ‘n cheese, fried chicken, apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Your call. Barring an eating disorder, food is one way we “take care of” ourselves and others, a reward when we’re up, a lift when down, a medium for celebrating and socializing with friends. Here’s a bit of background on “posole”–the comfort food my friend Analea first fed me.
Pozole is a pork and hominy stew, a special occasion dish in Mexico, and thought to be a cure for hangovers. (Hah! A wishful myth!) Perhaps the myth arises from the fact that pozole is often eaten in the wee hours of the morning in pozolerias (restaurants that specialize in its preparation.) Nahuatl in origin, the word pozole means “foam” and the dish is so called because Aztec hominy resembles a foamy froth when cooked.
Pozole is also popular in New Mexico, where you find it in supermarkets as “posole”–the “s” replacing the “z” in the spelling, (but please don’t try that with “Zorro.”) My friend Analea, an ardent fan of New Mexico, may have picked up her recipe in Pinasco, where she once lived. The following recipe is a Pozole Blanco, or white posole, popular in Guadalajara. Pozoles Rojo (red), and Verde (green) are spicier versions popular in Michoacan and Guerrero, respectively.
Many pozole recipes use a mixture of chicken and pork, both shredded. Some recipes call for a raw egg stirred into the stew just prior to serving. I promise you won’t be run out of the cooking club if you decline to add the pig’s head and feet to the pot, said to immediately add flavor to the dish. (One likely has to grow up with that quaint custom!) Here again, your call. Adapt and Enjoy! Salud!
Ingredients for Pozole Blanco: 1 to 2 lbs pork shoulder or roast; 2 to 3 cups hominy, fresh or canned (rinsed); 3 to 5 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons salt; 6 cups water or stock.
Method of Cooking: Place the pork, hominy, garlic, cumin, salt and liquid (water or stock) in a large pot and boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and simmer until the meat is very tender. After removing the pot from the heat, cool the contents ’til able to handle the meat. Remove the meat from its bones and shred it. Add it back to the pot and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with garnishes.
Garnishes for Pozole: Iceberg lettuce or cabbage, shredded; finely diced onion; thinly sliced radish; limes; diced avocado; chopped cilantro; dried oregano; ground Chile piquin