Pozole

I’ve been craving pozole for a while now. Correction, I’ve been craving my mom’s pozole! And being that we live only 9 hours away from my parents, I can’t really have any of her pozole any time soon. She spends hours making it from scratch!! I’m not a big fan of spending hours slaving over the stove for a pot of pozole, no matter how delicious it ends up being. I mean, she goes to the Mexican store and buys the pork with bone and stuff…that just grosses me out! I don’t like dealing with stuff like that! But I know that the bone is what gives it it’s awesome flavor!

So when I came across this recipe, I was excited to see the few ingredients it required, and how little cook time it needed. I wasn’t expecting this to taste anything like home made pozole, being that it does require canned broth and tomatoes, but I figured it would come close to it. Boy was I wrong! It tastes nothing like the pozole I grew up eating at home, not even close! Don’t get me wrong, it is a very good recipe, very tasty, but it is not anywhere near authentic pozole. I know that not every recipe will be the same…but I’ve had pozole at many parties (and you know us Mexicans love to party and eat pozole!) and they all taste pretty much the same. I guess I now have to suck it up and make it from scratch!

I think napkins are the only Mexican thing I own! And I only have 2!

Pozole The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook  4 servings

2 Tbsp corn or canola oil

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into ½-inch dice

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried oregano

3 cups (24 fl oz) chicken stock/broth

1 can (14.5oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with juice

1 can (15oz) white hominy, rinsed and drained

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Avocado slices, for garnish

Sliced green (spring) onions, white and green parts, for garnish

Lime wedges and warm tortillas for serving

In a soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, add the pork and sauté until opaque on all sides but not browned, about 3 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the meat to a bowl and set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and sauté until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring to blend the spices evenly, for about 1 minute longer. Add the stock, tomatoes, hominy, jalapeño, and sautéed pork with any juices, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes. If desired, test a piece of pork to ensure that it is fully cooked before serving.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the avocado slices and green onions. Serve with the lime wedges and warm tortillas alongside. Or, serve with toasted tortilla strips.

*I have never had pozole with avocado slices…I’ve never even heard of eating it with pozole, and I wasn’t about to try it now (besides, avocados are so expensive!). And we normally eat pozole with tortilla chips, not tortillas…but that’s just us. As far as garnishes, we just use chopped onion, freshly squeezed limes (or as we call it, limon!), Mexican oregano blend (I’m not a big fan of this), and shredded cabbage (not a fan either).