Project Recipe! (said like Cher in Clueless)
I’m all about the quickery dickery dock recipes, but every so often I like to roll up my sleeves, throw my hair into a top knot, and cut footloose in the kitchen.
And then try to figure out what that even means.
This pozole, which can also be called posole, actually means FOAMY and I don’t know why. But it definitely falleth under the project recipe category. And it’s totally worth it because all these steps of charring and roasting and toasting and blitzing and switzing (huh?) and simmering and layering BUILDS all that flava flave, that will ultimately send your mouth into serious shock. Take a weekend afternoon and make this. Everybody cut footloose.
Alright! Grab a bunch of stuff. Tomatoes, guajillo chiles, garlic, onion, hominy, chicken, poblanos, lime, spices, avocado, broth, radishes, sriracha sauce, herbs, etc.
First you’re going to cut a small X in the bottom of those two big tomatoes and slide them into a very hot oven for about 25 minutes. But while that’s happening, stem and slice your chiles and shake out the seeds, like deez.
And then lightly toast them in a cast iron until fragrant, just a couple of minutes.
After you toast them, soak them in some cold water for about half an hour.
Back in the skillet, get the garlic and onions toasted! Ignore the fact that my garlic still has its skin on. I . . . have no idea.
Remember our tomatoes? Here they are, all roasted and gawg.
Once everything is toasted and roasted and soaked, dump it all into a blender (not a food processor, as you reaaaally want it smooth like buttah), along with the sriracha sauce, cloves and allspice.
Bliiiiiiiitz for like two entire minutes. OMG taste it. !! And this is just the beginning.
Now, you’ll lightly simmer the sauce with some water, vinegar and sugar for about 30 minutes. While you do that, get your poblano peppers charred under the broiler and into a plastic baggie so the skins can loosen, about 15 minutes.
THEEEEN, you’ll add the chicken, Mexican oregano, cilantro and mint! Nestle nestle nestle.
In goes the hominy.
And a bunch of chicken stock.
Back on the stove for another 30 minutes or so until the chicken is all cooked and easy to shred. You need to be warned, when you taste the broth during the cooking, you might just pass out. It’s ridiculously w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.
And then you serve! Garnish it good with radishes, avocado, lime and more cilantro. I honestly don’t have the words to describe how intense the flavor is. (you’re welcome?) All that WORK you did. It’s just so worth it. I want it all again in my mouth.
Right now.
Get pozoled!
Fowl Mouth
Check out this recipe collection for other interesting ideas!
Bev doesn’t want to beg, buuuuut. For more musings, visit her blog Bev Cooks and her Tablespoon profile.
Advertise on Platefull