New Mexican Posole

I love Mexican food.  I know, I know…so do most of you.

Before I moved to New Mexico, I thought I really knew Mexican food, but as I have explained before…there is nothing like the real deal.  Don’t get me wrong….I still like Tex-Mex Mexican food, but when I get a “hankerin’” for that indescribable taste of real Mexican food, I dive into my recipes from my years of living in New Mexico.

I can remember vividly those snowy days on our ranch hidden away in the mountains near Chilili and Escobosa. I loved cooking red chile and green chile sauces…there was nothing like the aroma of those chilies simmering on the back of the stove while giant snowflakes fell outside my kitchen window.  If you have missed the recipes for those two important parts of Mexican cooking…check out my post red here. and green here.

Those two sauces are the basis for almost any Mexican recipe, from Green Chile Stew, using the Green Chile Sauce or Posole using the Red Chile Sauce. 

Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes given to me by my late Mother-in-law who could make up the best comfort Mexican food in less time than one took to remove coats and boots.  She always, I mean always had a pot of prepared pinto beans, and/or Posole, simmering away on the back of her stove top. AND Red and Green Chile Sauces in her fridge, plus home made tortillas waiting on the center part of her stove for anyone who entered her cozy kitchen. (Mainly all her grown kids).  You see, she was of that era that when one entered her old adobe home….she insisted that you sit down and eat.  And one did so eagerly…the food was that good.

Someday I will tell you the story of Wayne Newton, the famous singer of Las Vegas fame and Grandma Pauline (my Mother-in-law). He, too came into her kitchen and ate home made pinto beans and tortillas and loved every minute of it.

But I digress,…

To make this Posole,  you can buy the white or yellow New Mexican Hominy (frozen) OR you can use the canned white hominy you find in your super market.  I also like to use the El Pato tomato sauces which can be found at Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie or on line. 

By the way, Have you ever wondered what exactly is hominy?  “Hominy is dried white or yellow field corn kernals that have been soaked to remove the hull and germ, causing the kernels to puff up to double their size, creating a chewy, earthy, and nutrient-dense ingredient staple in Mexican (e.g., posole or pozole) and Southern U.S. cooking.”

Today, I am sharing my late, Mother-in-Love’s recipe (and now my adopted recipe as I have adjusted it a bit) for Posole, a New Mexican soup that tastes even better the next day….and the wonderful aroma in your kitchen makes your mouth water causing you to drool all over yourself.  I’m sorry to be so explicit but it is true. I usually use a pork roast cut in chunks, but you can use pork tenderloin or even pork chops or pork steak cut in pieces.  

Below is the recipe for New Mexican Posole and I hope you like it as much as we do.

Matthew 22:37-39  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

New Mexican Posole

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Ingredients

  

• 1  Tbsp Bacon Grease (Or vegetable oil) 
• 2    # Pork Roast (cut into 1-inch pieces and lightly floured )
• 2 15 Oz Cans White Hominy (drained)
• 1 14 Oz can Tomato Sauce (I like to use El Pato hot tomsto sauce)
• 1  Medium Onion (chopped)
• 1 small (8 Oz extra hot) Fresh green chilies (Or Fire roasted canned green chiles)
• 5  Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2  Tsp Mexican Oregano (Or regular oregano)
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Or Chopped Jalapeno pepper)
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth (beef or chicken works too)
• 1/2 Tsp Salt (I prefer Kosher)
• 1 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Cilantro (finely chopped for garnish)
• 1 Tbsp per bowl Sour Cream or Mexican Crema (Optional)

Instructions

 

• In a cast iron skillet, heat the bacon grease or oil until hot.
• Lightly flour the chunks of pork roast and place in skillet to lightly brown.
• Add the onion and gently toss with the pork for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic (do not burn) and then add the green chilies.
• While that simmers (about 5 minutes), place the Tomato Sauce, Vegetable Broth, Hominy and Spices in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add the pork chunks mixture from the skillet to the Hominy mixture in the pot.
• Lower heat and let Posole simmer for about an hour to meld all the flavors. Add a little water or more broth if needed. Taste for more salt and pepper.
• When flavors are to your liking, Serve with garnish of Chopped Fresh Cilantro and/or dollop of sour cream (or Mexican Crema) and warm tortilias or cornbread. So Good!

Notes

You can use a boneless pork tenderloin in place of the pork roast.  Sometimes they are cheaper than buying a pork roast.  You can also add a can of Rotel green chilies and tomatoes.