You say 'Pozole', I say 'Posole'...

I love to cook. I cook for my family. I cook for my self. I cook for my dogs. I'll cook for anyone. I also love to bake. I like making people happy with what I cook. But most of all, I love to eat food that excites me.

Recently I started getting into posole (or pozole if you prefer). My favorite is a green posole that I made all summer with the lovely tomatillos I received from a friend's garden throughout the summer. An odd little fruit, actually also referred to as a Mexican ground cherry - they made incredible posole. I also used freshly toasted pepitos and fresh squeezed lime juice and cilantro from our own garden, and our very own farm raised chicken. One of the most enjoyable things about posole is the array of flavors it shares with you. My favorite garnish was a fresh salsa of chopped cilantro and avocado with a generous splash of lime.

Here's the recipe I used. I don't remember where I found it and I've made my own modifications along the way...

Before I start I should say that the first step is all about cooking the chicken and creating a good simple chicken broth. We raise our own chickens and I usually finish off a roasted chicken by boiling the leftover frame and freezing or canning the broth if not immediately using it for soup, an easy and inexpensive way to always have fresh broth on hand. For this recipe I prefer to start by roasting a chicken (with onion & garlic in the cavity and herbs rubbed on the outside), picking off the meat, and making the broth from the leftover frame, instead of poaching chicken thighs or breasts and reserving the liquid.

Good hearty meal on a cold winter day!

Green Posole

Prepare Chicken:

* 1 Turkish bay leaf (can also use California)
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
* 4 chopped garlic cloves
* 1 1/2 tsps salt
* 3 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs

Start by combining bay leaf, onion, garlic, and salt in a large pot and adding about 2 quarts of water in a large soup pot. Cover pot and bring to a simmer. After about 12 minutes add the chicken and lower heat to poach the chicken until just cooked, 20-25 minutes. When chicken is done remove it from the pot and set aside to cool. Okay so here's another hi-tech cooking technique. I keep some nylon (clean) sleeves on hand just for this - leg segments from pantyhose! Anyway, I stretch the nylon over a colander and pour the broth through the colander into a large bowl or other suitably sized pot. The nylon keeps all but the liquid from passing through the colander and I just throw the solids right into the compost bucket and wash the hose section to be reused later. When the chicken is cool enough, separate the meat from the bone and fat and add the meat back to about 4 cups of the broth and set aside. Reserve any additional broth in case you like a brothier posole or just put it in the freezer until you need broth again. Shred the chicken it to whatever size you want it to be in your posole.


Prepare Posole

* 2/3 cup green pumpkin seeds/pepitos (not roasted)
* 1-1/2 lb tomatillos (peel away husks and wash)
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
* 4 chopped garlic cloves
* 1 1/2 tsps salt
* 1-2 fresh jalapeño chile, quartered (use 2 the seeds if you like a spicier posole)
* 1 cup chopped cilantro (fresh, not dried)
* 1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 tablespoons olive oil (you could substituted a healthy oil like EVO)
* 3 cups white hominy (1-2 cans rinsed and drained)

Roast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Seeds will puff up as they pop and crackle - the goal is not to brown them and it should only take a few minutes. Set the seeds aside to cool. When they are cool you can come back to them and finely grind them. I have a mini blender/chopper that works great for this but you could also use a clean coffee bean grinder.


Put tomatillos into a medium sauce pan along with 1/2 cup onion in about 1-1/2 cups of water and simmer until the tomatillos are tender. Remove from heat and drain excess water. Purée cooked tomatillos and onions in a food processor (or blender), adding jalapeños, 1/2 cup cilantro, oregano, garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt as you process.


Now back to your large soup pot. You'll need all the remaining ingredients ready to go at this point (finely ground pepitos, and shredded chicken in broth, rinsed & drained hominy). Heat oil until hot and add puréed tomatillo mixture (careful when adding watery mixture to hot oil!). Continue to cook tomatillo mixture uncovered and stirring constantly until it thickens a bit, 10-12 minutes. Stir in the pepitos and 1 cup of the broth and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the shredded chicken/broth mixture and the drained/rinsed hominy and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add in the remaining freshly chopped cilantro and you're ready to eat!


Posole Toppings:

* 1 avocado cubed & 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro tossed with lime juice
* wedges of a fresh lime
* chopped fresh cilantro
* sliced radishes (I've never tried this but I hear it is a great topping)