For a few years our “home pozole” was a brilliant, vegetarian inexperienced pozole (pozole verde). It is a pozole made with serrano and poblano chiles, one that basically goes for it on the cilantro and garlic fronts. It was my go-to pozole, I included the recipe in Close to & Far and I’d make it usually in the summertime when tomatillos are in season. Pozole, a Mexican hominy stew, is often made with meat, however doesn’t should be.
I’ve had a lot of unimaginable vegetarian and vegan variations of pozole together with the model I appreciated to order at Gracias Madre in San Francisco. There’s a a lot cherished vegan pozole served at Alta Baja Market in Santa Ana, nevertheless it has eluded me to date. It’s important to go on the final Sunday of each month (earlier than they run out) and I maintain out hope for my subsequent go to.
The recipe I’m going to to share right now is definitely a pink pozole. It is a change from the inexperienced pozole (pozole verde) we have made for thus lengthy, nevertheless it’s how I at the moment wish to make pozole for myself, at house. Plenty of you may have requested for the recipe, so right here we go, with a little bit of again story.
Wayne and I took a (very windy) street journey earlier this 12 months, by way of the Southwest of america — from Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico. On the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market I purchased a couple of kilos of gorgeous, dried pink posole. Together with that I scored some dried chipotle, cascabel chiles and aromatic Mexican oregano. Briefly, this haul prompted a shift from inexperienced to pink after I returned house. 
Pozole / Posole / Ready Hominy
If you happen to’re new to pozole-making you may be confused. Pozole (Posole) is the title of the stew, however *additionally* the first, defining ingredient in that stew – nixtamalized maize or subject corn. My understanding is the extra conventional Mexican spelling is pozole, however you’re more likely to see posole within the context of the Southwest. So as to add to the confusion you additionally see it referred to as out as hominy. Ingredient lists (for pozole) usually name for hominy, dried hominy, ready hominy, and/or canned hominy. To succeed right here, you should be sure you’re utilizing nixtamalized corn / posole / hominy. I add hyperlinks to favourite sources for dried (ready & nixtamalized) posole down beneath in addition to extra hyperlinks value studying and exploring for a deeper dive.
Why is There Citrus in Your Pozole?
I suppose probably the most uncommon facet of this pozole recipe, except for it being veg., is the high-volume introduction of quite a few citrus accents. The primary time I switched our “home” inexperienced pozole to an early model of this pink one I felt prefer it wanted some carry. It wanted some type of brilliant punctuation in taste to counter the earthiness of the chile broth and starch of the pozole (hominy). I began reaching for close by components in my kitchen and backyard.
It seems including a foundational citrus part or two was a sport changer (past a squeeze of lime or lemon as a topping). Now I can’t think about making veg. pink pozole with out it. A fatty drizzle of tangerine or lemon olive oil snaps every part into place. I additionally love to select a couple of leaves off my makrut lime tree, sliver-slice whisper skinny and add them to the pot within the ultimate couple of minutes of simmering. I’ve used lemon zest as nicely from time to time. And *then* I like to serve bowls with wedges of lemon, lime or orange. Bonus factors in the event that they’ve been seared on a comal or grill, or in a pan.
Canned vs. Dried Pozole (Hominy)
I by no means use canned hominy in my pozole (posole), I simply don’t. By cooking dried pozole (hominy) you get lovely blossoms of corn kernels plus a flavorful corn broth. You may carry that full-bodied broth over to your pot of pozole later within the course of. My advice is to cook dinner from dried and arrange an ideal basis from the beginning.
How To Make Pozole Video
Here is a fast little slideshow model video so you may see the way it all comes collectively.
The place to Purchase Dried Pozole (Posole)
After cooking by way of the pink posole from Santa Fe I’ve been ordering a lovely natural pink posole by way of Southwest Heritage Mill. And my go-to white corn posole has lengthy been from Rancho Gordo.
– Pink Feathers Pink Corn Posole
– Prepared-To-Prepare dinner Hominy / White Corn Posole
Pozole Toppings //
One of many issues to like a few huge, celebratory pot of pozole is the best way everybody is ready to customise a bowl. The recipe I’m together with beneath (pre-toppings) is of course vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. That is a part of what makes it such an ideal meal to organize for a crowd. It accommodates a variety of dietary choice with no added carry for the cook dinner. Right here’s an inventory of favourite toppings:
- Home made Tortilla Strips: It is a topping value going the additional mile. To make home made tortilla strips (see picture), slice corn tortillas thinly with a pointy knife. Fry in 1/2-inch of oil *in batches* earlier than transferring to paper towels. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips.
- A Little bit of One thing Creamy: I like slightly one thing creamy to high issues off and usually attain for no matter is readily available. To maintain issues vegan, seize a favourite crumbly vegan cheese (there are a selection of nut primarily based ones). Or, if dairy is in your wheelhouse – creme fraiche, bitter cream, feta cubes, crumbled cotija or goat cheese all do the job.
- Citrus wedges: Limes, lemons, oranges – and as I discussed up above, in case you have a grill going, grilled citrus wedges are great.
- Shredded Cabbage: There’s already a great quantity of cabbage in my pozole base, however slightly additional as a topping is all the time welcome.
- Avocado: A should. The creaminess of a ripe avocado contrasting with the tortilla strips is A-plus.
- Thinly Sliced Radishes
- Toasted Pepitas
- Contemporary Cilantro
- Extra Citrus Olive Oil (for drizzling)
Make-Forward Pozole
There’s something particular concerning the ritual of making ready pozole from begin to end in a single go. It requires persistence, planning, and a few supervision over stretches of time. That mentioned, there are various instances after I want to interrupt up the method and put together parts forward of time. This permits a giant pot of restorative pozole to return collectively in a comparatively brief time period. I’ll do that if we’re driving from L.A. to see household in Northern California. The parts begin to thaw within the cooler on the drive up, after which just some steps are wanted to complete issues up on the finish of an extended drive day. Everybody can assist prep the toppings. The phases look one thing like this:
- Prep the Posole: Soak and cook dinner the dried posole. Drain, saving the broth. Cool and freeze the kernels & broth individually till prepared to make use of.
- Make the Chile-Tomato Focus: Create the chile, onion, tomato, cilantro part, pulse with a hand blender, and freeze till prepared to make use of.
- End the Pozole: Just a few hours earlier than you’re able to cook dinner, thaw the parts and proceed with the recipe and toppings.
Extra Readings on Pozole
Extra Vegan Recipes
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