It’s 90 degrees, let’s make some hot soup!

on AUGUST 28, 2018

Yeah, I know it isn’t the most practical, but here I find myself, in Mexico, sweating over a hot stove on Sunday afternoon. What compelled me to do this? At this moment I’m wondering, but the fruits of these labors will in time produce one of my favorite Mexican dishes – pozole verde.

I don’t quite remember the first time I made this dish. Likely it was over 20 years ago after Switch and I moved to Boston when I started college. I was probably craving the soup my Dad used to make, a steaming bowl of pork-y goodness, chock full of umami and loaded with toppings. My Dad has always been fond of Mexican food and acquired that love as a boy growing up in Southern California. Periodically, my family used to make a trip to Zilla in Eastern Washington to go to El Ranchito (now closed), a tortilla factory which also had his favorite bowl of menudo – something that wasn’t easy to get in Western Washington at the time. As a kid, I wasn’t thrilled with the tripe (I love it now, go figure), but I still remember sipping up the rich broth while listening to the raucous music and snacking on pumpkin filled empanadas.

soup covered with water and ready to simmer

Pozole verde is invariably a relative to menudo. It is cheap, versatile and keeps really well in the fridge and/or freezer. While close to my Dad’s recipe, this one has morphed over time and gotten a bit fancier, but I’ll add his tips for shortcuts. Also a bit of warning that it makes a shit-ton, so I’ve also given you the instructions for halving the recipe which I would recommend if you’re not feeding a crowd. Even with the halved recipe, you’ll get plenty of leftovers. You can eat it for days, put it in tacos or a burrito, or my favorite – for breakfast with an egg on it. Que rico!

Pozole Verde (halved quantities in parentheses)

6 (3) lbs pork shoulder/shoulder butt

2 (1) tbsp neutral oil

8 (4) fresh poblano peppers: shortcut – use 2 (1) 20 oz cans of canned anaheim chilies

2 (1) fresh jalapeño or serrano peppers

3 (2) large white onions, chopped coarsely (save some for garnish)

6 (3) large cloves of garlic roughly chopped

2 (1) 20 oz cans of hominy, drained

2 (1) can of Mexican lager

2 (1) tbsp Mexican oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes

Avocado chunks

Fresh chopped tomatoes

Radish slices

Chopped white, red or green onion

Cilantro

Crumbled cotija cheese

Tortilla chips of flour tortillas

Lime wedges

Start by chopping the onions and garlic. If you are using the fresh chilies, char all of them – including the jalepeños or serranos. Best way is to do this over an open flame, although I have done it under a broiler in a pinch), so you can do it on a BBQ or use the method I used this time – over a gas burner.

charring peppers on gas burners

Rotate the chilies with tongs until most of the sides are blackened and drop them in a bowl or other container with a lid to steam.

After they have steamed for a bit, run them under cool water to get the blackened skin off. One point of caution, don’t rub your eyes or touch your face during this part and wash your hands with soap and warm water after you are finished.

steamed peppers, onions and hominy

Poblanos are pretty mild, but I’ve definitely had issues in the past. You’ll chop the stem end off, slice them lengthwise to open them and scrape out the seeds. You can leave the seeds and pith in the jalepiños or serranos if you want it hotter.

prepping peeled peppers

Then chop them roughly and set aside with the other vegetables.

chopped peppers and garlic

Next, prep the pork. Cut the pork into 1.5 – 2″ chunks trimming large pieces of fat and sinew as you go. Heat a large pot with a heavy bottom (full recipe) or dutch oven and heat over medium high heat. Add oil and when shimmering, add several of the pork chunks to the pan leaving some breathing room around them.

first round of pork browning

If they start boiling and sweating, you’ve added too much. Brown the pork well on a couple sides and transfer to a bowl. Continue browning the pork until finished.

browning under way

You should have a respectable fond on the bottom of the pan at this point. That’s where a ton of the flavor comes from!

yummy fond

Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed and add the onions. Salt generously, scrape up the good bits from the bottom of the pan and  and cook the onions until they are wilting. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add back the pork with accumulated juices and the remainder of the ingredients (except the hominy) and cover with water.

soup covered with water and ready to simmer

Bring to a boil, skim any foam and excess fat from the top and simmer until the pork is falling apart (1.5 – 2 hours). Add hominy and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Adjust the seasoning (you’ll probably need a lot more salt) and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with garnishes. Or, stuff some of the chunks in a burrito or taco. Here’s a machaca-like version I made by sauteing some of the chunks with some beaten eggs and serving as breakfast tacos. Enjoy!