Ok, Here you go...
Pozole Rojo (Red Posole)... You will see the words Pozole and Posole used interchangeably in the US. The words can be seen referring to the Soup or the Hominy, white or yellow Corn, specifically the starchy corn that needs further processing, Maiz, as opposed to Sweet Corn that can be eaten as is. The Maiz is cooked with Calcium Hydroxide (referred to as CAL) to loosen the hull for removal, make it more nutritional releasing Niacin and Protein, reduces or eliminates the Mycotoxins that accumulate as a Fungus grows, it attacks when corn is in storage and when ground into a slightly course flour (Masa) used to make Tortillas, makes the dough stick together. This process is called Nixtamalization. Hominy is available Canned and Dry. If you buy the dry form, it will need to be precooked which takes a couple of hours. I used the Canned Hominy.
Most of the Pozole I've seen on TV is made with all Chile Guajillo. It gives a brighter red color but is also one of the hotter Mexican Chiles. My family is not into heat so I add milder yet flavorful chiles with good result, this is also more common in recipes on line. The final color of my recipe is a deep dark red and a mellow warm heat. You can use any combination or types of chiles you like or have. If you are making this for your family for the first time, I suggest you use what I did. If you or your family is used to heat, play with the type and/or number of chiles you use. Your dried chiles should be dry, firm and flexible. If they crumble when you remove the seeds they are past their prime or were in the store or your cabinet over a year or not kept air tight. This does not mean they a bad just that you will need to double the amounts for the same flavor. In any event you need to wake those chile flavors up before using. Start by removing the stems and seeds. The fleshy white part of a fresh chile holds the bulk of the seeds along with the ribs and contains the highest concentration of Capsaicin, the Heat of the chile. These portions of dry chiles are usually removed because they will cause whatever you make to become bitter. Next the chiles are toasted in a medium hot pan until they start to change color and you smell the rich aroma of the chiles filling the kitchen. If they turn black, get burned, toss them they will ruin the dish. In some recipes the chiles need to be soaked in very hot water for no more than 20 minutes, any longer they get bitter, and then pureed with some of the soaking water. The puree is then strained and sauteed, in lard, to concentrate the flavor and sweeten them a bit. While this is important for sauces like a Mole and Marinades, it does not really seem to make a whole lot of difference in a soup. I skipped this process and chopped up the toasted chiles and ground them into a powder in my spice grinder, saved a lot of time. Read the recipe, gather your ingredients and do all the Prep first. Get all cutting, chopping and measuring done for the Pozole before you begin. The Garnish can be dealt with while the Stock/Soup cooks. Next we make a Stock, well actually a Broth since we are using Meat and not just Bones, and cook the Meat that will be eaten in the soup. If you plan to use Smoked Meat, you will need to make a Stock with bones. You can use Chicken Backs, Pork or Beef Bones, 2Lbs or so, that you have accumulated of purchased from your Butcher.
Heat a 4Qt pot over high heat and add 2-3Tbs Fat of your choice and brown the meat, remove it to a plate and if there is a lot of additional fat rendered remove some, keep it, until you are left with about 2Tbs in the pot. At this point add the vegetables and saute them until golden. If the Garlic Cloves are getting too brown, remove and add back later. I ALWAYS sweat or saute my aromatic vegetables for soups and stocks because it creates and concentrates a ton of flavor that you can't get by adding raw veg to soup. For light colored soups, just sweat them over med/low heat until softened a bit. For dark soups saute until golden or even brown. Time to add the Water, fairly quickly as it's going to spit and pop, and the herbs. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the brown goodness that accumulated on the bottom of the pot. Add the meat to the pot, bring everything just barely to bubbling, reduce the heat to low and skim any floating scum. Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is tender and easily removed from the bones. If the level has dropped add some water. Now cooked, remove the meat to cool until it can be handled. Strain the stock into another pot, to remove the veggies, and keep warm. This stock contains little Salt so the flavor will be flat and not that good, we will fix this later. Reheat the 4Qt pot and add 2-3Tbs of the reserved fat. Add the remaining Onions, Celery and Tomato Paste. Saute these just until the tomato paste begins to darken. Add the Garlic and saute another minute. Add the Stock and all remaining ingredients, Except the Meat. Bring to a boil reduce the heat to low and simmer the until the Celery, Onions and Posole are tender but still firm. Adjust seasoning adding more Salt and Pepper to taste. Add the meat to the soup, turn up the heat, bring the soup back to a simmer and Serve in big bowls with all the Garnishes on the side so everybody can customize the Pazole to their tastes...The Recipe Serves 4-6...Enjoy!...JJ
Inkjunkie...Since the Mrs' is allergic to Tomatoes. Leave out the Tomatoes and Paste and replace it 2 Cups of Diced Zucchini or Yellow Squash for bulk and mouth feel of diced tomato and 1-2 Tablespoons Wine Vinegar for the acidity...JJ
Pozole Rojo
Stock/Broth
3-4Lbs Chicken on the Bone or 5-6Lbs Pork Country Style Ribs, Trotters and Fresh Hocks. (If just using CSR's 3-4Lbs is plenty)
1Lrg Onion (8oz), Chopped
1Lrg Rib Celery, Chopped
1Lrg Carrot, Chopped
3ea Whole Cloves Garlic
2ea Sprigs Thyme
1ea Bayleaf
5ea Stems of Cilantro
1tsp Kosher Salt
8Cups Water, or to cover meat.
The Soup Ingredients
2ea Ancho or Mulato Chiles
1ea Pasilla Chile
1ea Guajillo Chiles
Other Chiles as desired totaling 1-2oz
2C Diced Onions (1Lrg)
2C Diced Celery (2-3 Ribs)
2T Tomato Paste
3ea Cloves Garlic, minced
1tsp Fresh Thyme Leave (2-3 Sprigs)
1tsp Dry Mexican Oregano, or other.
2-3tsp Kosher Salt
2tsp Sugar
1tsp Grnd Black Pepper
1/2tsp Grnd Cinnamon (1/2 Small Stick)
1/4tsp Grnd Cloves (4-5 Whole)
1/4tsp Grnd Cumin, or more to taste (1/2tsp Whole Cumin)
1-14oz Can Diced Tomatoes
2-30oz Cans Posole, drained
The Garnishes
Sliced Red Radishes
Diced Sweet Onion
Shredded Cabbage
Diced Avocado
Lime Wedges
Cilantro Leaves
Queso Fresco or other Grated Cheese (Jack,Cheddar, Etc.)
Crema* or Sour Cream
Crema (Mexican Style Sour Cream)
2C Heavy Cream
2T Buttermilk
Warm the Hvy Cream to 90°F.
Stir in the Buttermilk.
Pour the mixture in a clean, dry jar.
Place the lid loosely on top and let it ferment 24 hours, not just overnight, in a warm place.
If thickened,Tighten the lid, shake it up and refrigerate overnight before using.
If not thickened, try adding 2T more Buttermilk and let rest another 24 hours.
For use, stir the Crema and drizzle over Pozole or anything that you like to top with Sour Cream.
Crema is nicely Tangy but not as sour as Sour Cream.
