New Mexico Pork Pozole With Chimayo

 

Ingredients

1 pound frozen pozole or 1 pound dry pozole soaked in water overnight or at least 12 hours*

1 – 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder*, trimmed, cut into ½ – ¾” cubes

Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil or bacon drippings

1 medium onion, chopped (+/- 2 cups)

6 – 8 large garlic cloves, minced

8 cups liquid* (all water or up to half and half water/chicken stock)

2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano, crushed

1/2 tsp. cumin*, toasted and ground

1/2 tsp. coriander*, toasted and ground

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. Chimayo red chile powder*

A pinch or two of chipotle flakes (optional)

1 cup red chile sauce* (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Suggested Toppings (Choose 2 – 4)

Diced raw onion or chopped green onion

Thinly sliced radish

Pickled radish or onion*

Thinly shredded cabbage or pickled cabbage

Chopped cilantro

Grated cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack or queso fresco)

A squeeze or two of lime

Flour or corn tortillas

Corn tortilla chips

more chile sauce

Instructions

If using dry pozole, cover with water and soak overnight.

(If you have the toasted cumin and coriander mix already, skip this step) Heat a large, heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add the cumin and coriander and toast until light brown and aromatic. Transfer to a mortar or grinder. Grind to a powder.

Lightly coat the cubes of pork with salt and pepper.

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the pork about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the liquid, pozole*, herbs and spices (omit red chile sauce) to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Remove the cover and cook another 30 minutes. Only stir occasionally to prevent “breaking” the pozole.

Add the red chile and cook another 30 minutes or so until pozole has “blossomed” and is tender. If you need to add more liquid, add some hot water or broth at the beginning or 15 minutes into this step.*

Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Optional – If you have time, let sit for a couple of hours and come to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to eat. You can refrigerate overnight if you want.

Reheat when ready to serve.

Transfer to bowls and top with the desired toppings and serve with warm flour or corn tortillas.