Pozole Verde (Green Pozole)

 

TOPPINGS FOR POZOLE

• thinly sliced onions ( or scallions)
• cilantro
• thinly sliced jalapeno
• sliced radishes
• shredding cabbage or lettuce
• avocado
• sour cream
• crispy tortilla chips ( make them like this)
• lime juice or wedges

INGREDIENTS

8 cups flavorful chicken stock (bone broth)

• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon coriander ( see notes)
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried Epazote (optional) or sub 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or use thighs)
• 1 lb tomatillos, husked and halved (about 12 golf ball sized tomatillos)

• 1 large onion, rough chopped
• 3 medium poblano chilies, seeded and sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and halved (add 1 more for extra spicy)
• 6-8 large garlic cloves

• 1 T olive oil
• 4 cups cooked hominy- or three 15 oz cans rinsed and drained.
• 1 whole bunch cilantro, tender stems OK

• INSTRUCTIONS

  Cook the chicken: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, bring the chicken stock, salt, coriander, cumin, oregano, epazote, cumin and pepper to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover and simmer gently over low heat until they’re tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat, skim the stock, and return the chicken back to the stock.

• Make the Verde Sauce: In a blender, add one cup of water. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, poblanos and jalapeno garlic. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary.

• In a skillet,  heat the oil and add tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about  10 minutes.  To the blender ( it’s ok if its not rinsed) ladle in 1 cup of broth from the chicken soup pot, set aside.

• Pour the cooked Verde sauce into the chicken soup pot. Add the 3 cups of the hominy (reserving 1 cup) and bring to a gentle simmer over moderate heat.

• Add the cilantro and their tender stems  into the blender with the chicken stock, cover tightly with a kitchen towel and blend until smooth. Add the reserved 1 cup of hominy. Blend again until smooth. If you need more liquid to get the blender going, just ladle from the pot.  Add this to the soup.

  Taste the soup.  Season with salt, pepper and cook on warm just until heated through -do not boil, or you will lose the lovely color. If soup lacks depth, add more salt and or a couple of chicken bouillon cubes ( or a couple teaspoons of chicken boullion paste or even a splash of soy sauce). The goal here is to get enough depth in the soup to balance out the tartness from the tomatillos and heat from the chilies.

  Serve the Posole in bowls, along with sour cream and any or all of the sides, letting  people add whatever toppings they want.