Gonzalo Guzmán's Pozole Rojo

Makes
6 servings
Cook Time
2¼ hours
Active time plus cooling
50 minutes active
Rating
1

Chef Gonzalo Guzmán's pozole rojo (pork, red chili and hominy stew), from his book “Nopalito,” is boldly flavored with ancho chilies, herbs, cumin and aromatics. He blends some of the hominy (dried corn kernels treated with alkali, then cooked until tender) with some of the braising the liquid, then adds the puree back to the soup to give the broth body. Guzmán says garnishes are a key component of pozole and encourages piling them high onto individual servings. A long list is included here, but you can offer as many or as few as you like. The pozole can be made a few days in advance, then reheated for serving.

Tip

Don't discard the chili soaking water after removing the chilies. You will need some of it to thin the chili mixture in the blender so that it breaks down into a smooth puree.

Ingredients

4
large ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
Boiling water
2
medium garlic cloves, divided
½
large white onion, roughly chopped
¾
teaspoon dried mexican oregano
½
teaspoon cumin seeds
Kosher salt
¼
medium yellow onion
4
cilantro stems
1
bay leaf
2
pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
4
cups rinsed and drained store-bought canned hominy (from two 29-ounce cans)
For serving:
Shredded green cabbage
Thinly sliced radishes
Thinly sliced red onion
chili powder
Cilantro leaves
Tortilla chips
Lime halves

Step 1

Place the chilies in a medium heatproof bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let stand until the chilies are softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the chilies from the water and transfer to a blender; reserve the water.

Add 1 garlic clove, the white onion, oregano, cumin and a generous pinch of salt to the blender, then puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the jar as needed and adding just enough of the soaking water to form a thick, smooth paste.

Step 2

In a piece of cheesecloth, wrap the remaining garlic clove, yellow onion, cilantro stems and bay; secure with kitchen twine to form a small bundle. Set aside.

Step 3

Season the pork with salt. Place the pork, chili puree and cheesecloth bundle in a large pot. Stir or whisk in 3 quarts water. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until a skewer inserted into the pork meets no resistance, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat.

Step 4

In the blender, puree ½ cup of hominy with about ½ cup of the braising liquid from the pork until smooth, about 20 seconds. Stir the puree and the remaining 3½ cups hominy into the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high.

Remove from the heat and let stand for 5minutes. Using a wide, shallow spoon, skim off and discard the fat on the surface.

Step 5