I mentioned in a post last week a stock I made from bags of bones and trimmings from the freezer. I thought it would be a nice base for a posole, also known as pork and hominy stew. Here's the recipe I made up, combining bits from several that were on my to-make list. It came out very tasty, especially after sitting in the fridge for a day. It's a great dish for company because it's make-ahead, all you have to do on the day of serving is cut up the accompaniments and heat up the stew. Warmed flour tortillas with soft butter are another thing to serve on the side. The beverage of choice is usually a cold Mexican beer with lime wedges, but anything cold works well.
Pork, Beef and Hominy Stew with Red Chiles
(Posole Rojo)
Day 1 Make Stock
Chicken backs, wings and whatever is sitting around in the freezer
Frozen corn cobs
Frozen tomato trimmings
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Garlic
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Dry thyme
Parsley stems
Cover chicken bones with cold water by several inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Skim off impurities. Add other ingredients and adjust heat for slow simmer. Simmer at least 2 hours. Strain, cool, chill overnight and then skim off fat layer.
Day 2 Make posole
To stock pot, add 2 pounds country-style pork ribs, 2 pounds beef short ribs (all pork may be used); 1 head garlic, cloves peeled, then sliced; 1 white onion, peeled and quartered; 2 carrots cut into chunks; 2 cloves garlic sliced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 cups stock and 2 cups cold water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to slow simmer and skim off impurities as they rise to the top. Then add 1 teaspoon oregano, crumbled. Simmer about 2 hours. Remove meat, let cool and then shred using two forks. Set meat aside. Strain stock and discard solids.
Return meat and broth to stock pot. Add chile sauce, 2 30-oz. cans hominy, rinsed and drained, 1 teaspoon salt, about ¼ cup lime juice. Simmer another 30 minutes and taste for seasoning. Add white wine vinegar to taste.
Serve with accompaniments or chill up to 2 days. Freezes well, too.
Chile Sauce:
Remove stems and seed from 2 ozs. Dried New Mexico, ancho or pasilla chiles, or a combination. Flatten and briefly heat in medium skillet. Set them in a bowl and cover with about 2 cups boiling water. Cover and let sit up to an hour.
In blender add chiles and liquid, 14 ½ oz can chopped tomatoes, ½ white onion chopped, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar. Blend well until smooth. In skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened.
Accompaniments:
Shredded red cabbage
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Diced avocado
Sliced radishes
Lime wedges
Chopped white onion
Sour cream or Mexican crema
(Posole Rojo)
Day 1 Make Stock
Chicken backs, wings and whatever is sitting around in the freezer
Frozen corn cobs
Frozen tomato trimmings
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Garlic
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Dry thyme
Parsley stems
Cover chicken bones with cold water by several inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Skim off impurities. Add other ingredients and adjust heat for slow simmer. Simmer at least 2 hours. Strain, cool, chill overnight and then skim off fat layer.
Day 2 Make posole
To stock pot, add 2 pounds country-style pork ribs, 2 pounds beef short ribs (all pork may be used); 1 head garlic, cloves peeled, then sliced; 1 white onion, peeled and quartered; 2 carrots cut into chunks; 2 cloves garlic sliced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 cups stock and 2 cups cold water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to slow simmer and skim off impurities as they rise to the top. Then add 1 teaspoon oregano, crumbled. Simmer about 2 hours. Remove meat, let cool and then shred using two forks. Set meat aside. Strain stock and discard solids.
Return meat and broth to stock pot. Add chile sauce, 2 30-oz. cans hominy, rinsed and drained, 1 teaspoon salt, about ¼ cup lime juice. Simmer another 30 minutes and taste for seasoning. Add white wine vinegar to taste.
Serve with accompaniments or chill up to 2 days. Freezes well, too.
Chile Sauce:
Remove stems and seed from 2 ozs. Dried New Mexico, ancho or pasilla chiles, or a combination. Flatten and briefly heat in medium skillet. Set them in a bowl and cover with about 2 cups boiling water. Cover and let sit up to an hour.
In blender add chiles and liquid, 14 ½ oz can chopped tomatoes, ½ white onion chopped, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar. Blend well until smooth. In skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened.
Accompaniments:
Shredded red cabbage
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Diced avocado
Sliced radishes
Lime wedges
Chopped white onion
Sour cream or Mexican crema
Here are some pictures of our 15-year-old, quickly failing Schnauzer, Demetrius, "Demi," who is having sort of a bad day today. Doesn't want to eat, just lays around, and looks pretty wobbling on his legs. His blood work looks a little better and we'll start him on some new meds today. He's lost another 1 lb. 2 oz, which for a small dog is a lot. The vet is very concerned and each time she sees Demi, asks us how his quality of life is, which a very scary question at this point. Each day is different and causes a new set of worries and challenges.
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