For a few years our “home pozole” was a vivid, vegetarian inexperienced pozole (pozole verde). It is a pozole made with serrano and poblano chiles, one that actually 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 might make it usually in the summertime when tomatillos are in season. Pozole, a Mexican hominy stew, is usually made with meat, however doesn’t must be.
I’ve had numerous unimaginable vegetarian and vegan variations of pozole together with the model I preferred to order at Gracias Madre in San Francisco. There’s a a lot beloved vegan pozole served at Alta Baja Market in Santa Ana, but it surely has eluded me to this point. You must 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 at present is definitely a pink pozole. It is a swap from the inexperienced pozole (pozole verde) we have made for therefore lengthy, but it surely’s how I presently prefer to make pozole for myself, at residence. A variety of you might have requested for the recipe, so right here we go, with a little bit of again story.
Wayne and I took a (very windy) highway journey earlier this yr, by means of the Southwest of the US — from Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico. On the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market I purchased just a few kilos of lovely, dried pink posole. Together with that I scored some dried chipotle, cascabel chiles and aromatic Mexican oregano. In brief, this haul prompted a shift from inexperienced to pink once I returned residence. 
Pozole / Posole / Ready Hominy
In the event you’re new to pozole-making you could be confused. Pozole (Posole) is the title of the stew, however *additionally* the first, defining ingredient in that stew – nixtamalized maize or discipline 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 known as out as hominy. Ingredient lists (for pozole) usually name for hominy, dried hominy, ready hominy, and/or canned hominy. To succeed right here, it’s worthwhile to be sure to’re utilizing nixtamalized corn / posole / hominy. I add hyperlinks to favourite sources for dried (ready & nixtamalized) posole down beneath in addition to extra hyperlinks price 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, other than 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 kind of vivid punctuation in taste to counter the earthiness of the chile broth and starch of the pozole (hominy). I began reaching for close by elements in my kitchen and backyard.
It seems including a foundational citrus element or two was a recreation 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 just a few leaves off my makrut lime tree, sliver-slice whisper skinny and add them to the pot within the last couple of minutes of simmering. I’ve used lemon zest as properly occasionally. 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 stunning blossoms of corn kernels plus a flavorful corn broth. You’ll be able to carry that full-bodied broth over to your pot of pozole later within the course of. My advice is to prepare dinner from dried and arrange an awesome basis from the beginning.
How To Make Pozole Video
Here is a fast little slideshow type video so you’ll be able to see the way it all comes collectively.
The place to Purchase Dried Pozole (Posole)
After cooking by means of the pink posole from Santa Fe I’ve been ordering a fantastic natural pink posole by way of Southwest Heritage Mill. And my go-to white corn posole has lengthy been from Rancho Gordo.
– Crimson Feathers Crimson Corn Posole
– Prepared-To-Cook dinner Hominy / White Corn Posole
Pozole Toppings //
One of many issues to like a few huge, celebratory pot of pozole is the way in which 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 awesome meal to organize for a crowd. It accommodates a variety of dietary desire with no added carry for the prepare dinner. Right here’s an inventory of favourite toppings:
- Home made Tortilla Strips: It is a topping price going the additional mile. To make selfmade tortilla strips (see photograph), 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 available. To maintain issues vegan, seize a favourite crumbly vegan cheese (there are a variety 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, you probably have a grill going, grilled citrus wedges are great.
- Shredded Cabbage: There’s already an excellent 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
- Recent Cilantro
- Extra Citrus Olive Oil (for drizzling)
Make-Forward Pozole
There’s something particular concerning the ritual of getting ready pozole from begin to end in a single go. It requires persistence, planning, and a few supervision over stretches of time. That stated, there are lots of occasions once I want to interrupt up the method and put together elements forward of time. This enables an enormous pot of restorative pozole to come back 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 elements begin to thaw within the cooler on the drive up, after which only a few steps are wanted to complete issues up on the finish of a protracted drive day. Everybody may help prep the toppings. The phases look one thing like this:
- Prep the Posole: Soak and prepare 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 element, 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 prepare dinner, thaw the elements and proceed with the recipe and toppings.
Extra Readings on Pozole
Extra Vegan Recipes
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