Green Pozole – a recipe for a comforting Mexican soup with hominy, chiles and mushrooms.
I have been very uninspired to type up this post. I’m not quite sure why, because the meal was delicious. I think it’s the photo. When I finished making this, it was already quite late outside and completely dark. I snapped some photos anyway, and when I went to look at them on the computer, they were horrible. So instead of posting this on Friday, like I usually do with the cookbook of the month recipes, I went home at lunch and tried to take a decent picture in the sunlight. And this is what I got. Maybe it’s just not a very photogenic meal!!
When this book was chosen as the Cookbook of the Month, I decided to try one recipe from each of it’s chapters since it has 4 chapters and I have 4 weeks. The first week was from the Meat and Fish chapter, this week is from the Soups, Chilis and Stews chapter, and I have both Sides and Desserts to go. (Yes, dessert from the slow cooker – I’m so excited!!) There were many tasty soups to choose from, but this one for Green Pozole really stood out to me, so it was chosen. The original recipe calls for dried pozole, but says that if you can’t find it, to substitute hominy. Well, I looked at no fewer than 5 different grocery stores over a week and couldn’t find the dried pozole, so I picked up a can of hominy. I should have gone to a Mexican supermarket – I’m sure they would have had the dried posole – and next time I will do that. Because I chose the canned hominy, I cut back on both the amount of liquid that I added and the cooking time from the original recipe. Also, my chiles were so hot – I could feel them on my hands after cutting them in half. I ended up only adding 3 of the 6 chilies, and my mouth was on fire when I ate this. I usually don’t find Anaheim chilies to be that hot, but I must have got a really hot batch!!
Overall, I really liked this. It had lots of flavor, although I’m sure it would have been a lot better with the dried posole. I used queso fresco to top the bowl of posole, and I’m not sure that queso fresco really tastes like much to me. I used it in a dish earlier in the week and thought the same thing. I wish I would have tried it with feta. But overall, a very satisfying meal!
Green Pozole
Ingredients
- 6 Anaheim chilies sliced in half lengthwise
- 6 ounces dried pozole or 1 12-oz can of hominy*
- 6 cups chicken stock or water*
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds crushed
- 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
- salt
- Crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco for garnish
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion tops for garnish
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1 lime sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler. Place the chilies on a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil for 10 minutes or until skins turn black, about 10 minutes. Take out of the broiler and cover with a dampened kitchen towel for about 20 minutes. Peel off the skins, removing stems and seeds. Chop the chilies.
- Combine the posole and water or broth in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours**, until the posole is plump and tender. Add the chilies, onion, oregano, cumin, and mushrooms and continue to cook for 1 to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt.
- Spoon into bowls and garnish with queso fresco, green onions, and cilantro. Serve lime wedges on the side.
Bridget says
Posole…I should’ve known you were from NM!
Jenny says
Mmmm,
This looks so tasty. I love that it’s garnished with Feta. I could top just about everything with Feta!!
JennDZ - The Leftover Queen says
Oh my gosh, I love posole! I haven’t had it in ages, but it is big in Navajo cuisine as well.
I hate when my photos don’t do justice to the dish!
Dhanggit says
i could very well relate to you on unphotogenic photos..anyways the best judge is still our tounge 🙂 this recipe sounds really delicious! my hubby and i love spicy food but i never tried cooking mexican dish.;this sounds perfect to try
Kevin says
This dish sounds really tasty. This is the first that I have heard of Posole. I will have to look for it.
Veron says
a lot of the food I make is not photogenic at all. But I think this looks and sounds delicious!
jasmine says
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case, the tongue of the taster.
j
Emiline says
Wow, Ben sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.
That’s not a bad picture. I mean, come on. You and I both know that there are some pretty bad pictures out there. This isn’t.
I hate touching chiles because they burn my hands for hours, afterwards. I have to wear gloves.
Ben says
What, no pork head? Hehehe. In my parents restaurant they cooked the pozole beans with a pork head for hours in a huge mud pot. Then they serve it with shredded pork and tostadas. I’ve never eaten pozole with cheese, though. The point is that you liked it, right? When we go to Mexico I will show you where to eat the best pozole ever 😀
Mary says
It sounds really good, although I have to admit, I’m not sure what posole is. I might give this one a try. We do have a Mexican market in town.
Suzana says
Don’t worry about the photo – it sounds great!
Bellini Valli says
“Never judge a book by it’s cover” as the old addage goes. I’m sure this dish tasted delicious as you and many others have attested to 😀
jb says
Oooh, I love posole! I usually use canned hominy myself, although we have a sizeable hispanic population here in St. Paul, so I really should get out and check the Mexican grocery stores. I’ve found that brand makes a *big* difference- we use Bush’s at work (same one that makes the baked beans) and I’ve found them to be very good quality. Tried Juanita’s the other day- not nearly as good.
I agree, posole isn’t a very photogenic meal. : P
glamah16 says
Sometimes the best foods arent the most photogenic. But it sounds divine.
Judy says
Oh, I know what you mean about the chiles. I stuffed some poblanos the other day, and it turned out one of the three was stupendously hot, while the remaining two were more mild. Guess which one I happened to eat first? I’ll have to try this recipe, though, it sounds delicious.