Pozole, A mexican treasure

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Here's a pork-and-hominy favorite from Mexico that might be the most gut-satisfying, gizzard-tickling, stick-to-your-ribs soup you and your family have ever eaten on a chilly autumn day.

by Burley Packwood

Burley Packwood

Hominy is made by boiling soaked corn in a hydrated lime solution to loosen the hulls.

Ask ten random norteamericanos what pozole (pronounced poh-soh-lay) is, and you may very well get ten blank stares in response. And that's an unfortunate state of affairs, because this hearty Mexican pork-and-hominy soup is one of the best tasting, most satisfying, and economical concoctions ever to be ladled into a bowl.

Folks down Guadalajara way, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, will swear that their cooks prepare the only true pozole, while many señores and señoras from nearby Michoacan (who have their own cooking methods) will tell you that their region's version is the authentic one. The truth is that pozole — like most hearty soups and stews — can be made in a number of ways . . . varying with such factors as personal taste and what's in the larder on a given day. In fact, it seems that almost every pozole chef has his or her own pet recipe. I learned mine (which, of course, I believe is the best going) from a lady named Conchita, and it's peasant-style all the way.

To prepare it, you'll need the following ingredients:

2 pounds of fresh boneless pork 2 pounds of pork neck bones (for stock) 2 tablespoons of salt (or enough to suit your taste) 2 cans (15-ounce) of white or yellow hominy, drained 2 tablespoons of powdered pasilla chile (or California chile or ordinary chile powder . . . see the sidebar )

If you prefer to prepare your own hominy (it's easy to make and will taste a whole lot better than the store-bought kind), the sidebar that accompanies this article will tell you how to produce the amount needed to whip up a batch of pozole. And if you really want to "go native", try substituting a pig's head for the neck bones when preparing your stock. Olé .

Start your soup by placing the stock meat and the boneless pork in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and covering them with water. Then add the salt, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it — uncovered — for about an hour . . . or until the neck (or head) meat separates easily from the bones and the chunk of pork is tender. At that point, you can remove the kettle from the heat and skim the grease off the broth. (If you'd like to remove the fat completely, you can simply refrigerate the stock overnight, then skim it.)