Oh Hey its Pozole!

Dad got a little excited over the weekend to cook and broke out the La Caja China and some pork. What resulted was a 20 lb pork leg slow roasted for 12 hours with nowhere to go. So for the past week, we have been eating pork, and lots of it. A success that was turned into dinner then lunch and lunch again was Pozole, a yummy Mexican corn and pork soup. Traditionally, the soup is cooked with the pigs head and trotters, put in the pot in the morning and cooked on a slow simmer for the entire day. I didn't have that, but I still wanted to keep the soup as traditional (and yummy) as I could. My family thought it was successful, but the true test was to bring a bowl to my co-worker, born and raised in Mexico and claims to have a mean pozole himself. The result? ¡Que Delicioso!

Recipe:
For Soup 
2 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Teaspoon coriander
1/2 Teaspoon each salt and pepper {more to taste}
1 T ground chili (ancho chili powder if you have it)
1 Tablespoon oregano (Mexican oregano if you can get it)
Approx 2 pounds SLOW ROASTED pork leg (could be shoulder, or the aforementioned head and trotters)
1/2 Cup Tequila
29 oz can of hominy corn
32 oz chicken broth
32 oz water

For Salsa Roja
2 dried pasilla peppers
2 dried guajillo peppers
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion
4 clove garlic
1 Teaspoon oregano
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Juice of one lime


Okay, don't be concerned by the long list of ingredients. Its super easy to throw together and all you have to do is walk away and let it simmer for some time. And for me, it was way faster with having the pork cooked aka perfect for a bunch of leftover pork!


To start, grab a soup pot to cook in. Slice the dried peppers for the Salsa Roja in thin strips, remove the sees and place in a bowl of water for them to rehydrate.  Over medium heat, saute the onions in the oil until just translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and celery cooking till celery is just soft. Careful not to burn the garlic! Add the spices, (all of em!) and cook until you start to smell them, about a minute. Add tequila, and cook down till its not such a sharp alcohol smell, approximately two minutes. Add the chicken broth and water and hominy corn. Now is where the recipe could change. If starting with RAW meat, add and cook for at least one and a half hour, or at least till the meat is falling off the bone, but please please consult another source to make sure!!  If starting with COOKED meat, cut into a bit smaller then bite size and cook for about twenty minutes, till the meat is soft and warmed through.


Either way, while the meat is cooking or re-heating, make the Salsa Roja! Grab the now soaked peppers from the bowl of water, careful to save about 1/2 cup of the 'soaking' water for reserve. Saute the onion and garlic on low till the onion is translucent. Add the spices and cook about a minute. Add the peppers, onion mix, lime juice and reserved water into a food processor and pulse till smooth. I didn't toss any of the reserve water till I was confident that salsa was smooth enough in the processor. 


When the meat is done (whichever way you choose) add the Salsa Roja to the mix and simmer for about ten minutes. Serve up in soup bowls with all the traditional fixings-cilantro, avocado, radishes, and my favorite crumbled cotija cheese. 

I would be interested to try a non-traditional Pozole now. Maybe with lamb and some Moroccan or Greek spices and vegetables??  Possibilities are endless.


Thanks to RadioGastronomy and Good Food, Good Wine, and a Bad Girl for recipe help!!!