Enjoy!
Enjoy!
The dish itself derives from rather dark origins. Pozole has pre-Hispanic roots, originating with the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs considered corn, or maize, a sacred plant, since creation myths credit the gods with using masa, or cornmeal dough, to create mankind. Pozole was created using hominy, which is made from corn, as a main ingredient. The soup was cooked only on special occasions and in a ritual context, as a way to honor the gods and bring the Aztecs together in a communal meal, rather literally. A warrior was sent out to capture an enemy, who was then brought back to the tribe and sacrificed. The captive was skinned and dismembered and his heart was gouged out, ultimately going into the pot of pozole and the whole being shared with the entire community as an act of religious communion. This practice continued up until the time of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s when the Catholic Church, frowning upon the preparation of pozole with human parts, nixed the cannibalism. Human meat was replaced with pork, since apparently pork resembled human meat most closely in texture and taste. And now you know.
After gleaning through a bunch of pozole recipes, I came up with a fairly straightforward and simple one that’s hearty and perfect for a winter’s meal. And what better way to celebrate the New Year than with pozole! I served a jalapeño cornbread alongside for sopping up any leftover juices.
Pozole
Preparation:
In a soup pot, brown the pork in a tablespoon of oil, in batches. Add the onion and garlic in with the last batch of pork. Return rest of pork to pan and add broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, or until meat is tender.
In a heavy skillet, sauté chiles in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat, pressing with a wooden spatula, for about 2 minutes. Do not blacken. Transfer chiles to a bowl and cover with about 1 ½ cups boiling water. Cover bowl and soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Remove seeds and stems, reserving water. Transfer chiles and liquid to a blender and process until smooth. Strain and press through a fine sieve, discarding any skins or remaining seeds. Add chile pulp to pork mixture.
Stir in hominy and oregano. Season to taste with salt. Cover and barely simmer for 20 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with your choice of assorted toppings.
Ready for processing.
Chile paste.
Sear pork in batches.
Rinse and drain hominy.
And serve!
The soup is certainly fine all by itself, but I always like something to sop up any juices that don’t make it into my soup spoon. Mama Hawthorne’s jalapeño cornbread fits the bill.
I'm sure you have your own recipe for cornbread, but this one was one of Mama Hawthorne's recipes, handwritten on her little index cards. And for the record, I never knew Mama Hawthorne to make this cornbread. Ever. Never knew her to have a jalapeño in the house for that matter. She was not a fan of spicy or anything with heat. So I don't know where she got the recipe from or even why she had it. For my purposes, I'm halving the recipe since there are only 3 of us here and I don't want a bunch of leftover cornbread.
I do remember Mama making a delicious cornbread, but I never got the "recipe" from her, although I watched her do it enough. Hers had melted Crisco which she poured into the the batter, which totally changed the texture, then she added the egg(s). Whenever I asked for the recipe, she was all "till it looks right." And sadly, my cornbread has never come out like hers.
Here's Mama Hawthorne's recipe for the Jalapeño Cornbread, which calls for a 9 x 13-inch baking dish:
Mama Hawthorne’s Jalapeño Cornbread
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 pt. sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 8.5 oz. can cream-style corn
1 4 oz. can chopped jalapeño peppers
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Stir together all ingredients and pour into greased 9” x 13” pan. Bake 350° for about 1 hour, until top is golden brown.
Here's my halved recipe, which I'm cooking in an 8 x 8-inch dish.
Well, isn't this festive?
Some red and green for your holiday table.
A quick and tasty side dish for you to try - brussels sprouts with fixin's.
Trim the brussels sprouts and slice in half. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and toss the sprouts and cranberries to coat. Leave sprouts in a single layer, sliced sides down. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake in a 450° oven for about 20 minutes, then add crumbled cooked bacon, pecans, and crumbled feta. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and toss. Continue baking another 5 minutes.
I didn't give amounts because you need to taste test. It's all about how you like it.
Here's our target:
Pork tacos with coleslaw.
Food Lion had boneless center-cut pork chops on sale today, so we're going with the manager's special.
Prepare the pork:
Heat peanut oil (enough to cover surface) in medium skillet over medium high heat. Temperature should be 375° - 400°.
Brown each side, using tongs to fold into a taco shape.
Add pork back in and stir to coat.