pozole (hominy)

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone knew of any alternatives to canned hominy and maybe where I would be able to find this in Chicago. Also, is there a significant difference in using fresh or dried hominy for making pozole versus using the canned stuff? I grew up eating pozole but always with canned hominy, just getting some opinions on this.

Thanks!

--mostlybadfly

I don't know. But, since you grew up on it, do you have a favorite recipe? I do like spicy and I understand your recipe would probably have meat but I'd like to do a vegetarian substitution. I do have a giant can(Juanita brand) that I purchased on whim waiting for a good recipe.

You should be able to purchase freshly made nixtamal (hominy) at any tortilleria. El Milagro (1927 S Blue Island & 3050 W 26th) and Atotonilco (1649 W 47th) are two of the bigger ones but there are plenty of others. If you have trouble getting it, I'm certain Atotonilco on 47th sells to the public. It was 50 cents a pound some months ago.

gooseberry wrote:I don't know. But, since you grew up on it, do you have a favorite recipe? I do like spicy and I understand your recipe would probably have meat but I'd like to do a vegetarian substitution. I do have a giant can(Juanita brand) that I purchased on whim waiting for a good recipe.

I actually made some this weekend. I can give you a recipe that is more of a general idea since I kinda just eyeball it.

Ingredients you'll need
Broth:
3-4 pounds bone-in shoulder roast cut up into large chunks
1/2 large onion
2 cans (will try the dry or fresh stuff next time) mexican style hominy, drained and rinsed
Salt to taste

"Sauce" (guajillo chile mixture that you add to the broth):
4-5 guajillo chiles (deseed but keep the veins, some seeds are ok. Soaked in hot pork broth)
3-4 cloves garlic
2-3 tablespoons mexican oregano
1-2 tablespoons cumin
salt to taste

garnishes (essential part to completing the dish):
shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, diced onion, cut up limes, cilantro, tostadas (can be crushed up and put in soup)
--all the garnishes are basically to suit different tastes, kinda like the make your own soup style of pho

1. Boil pork and onion in a large soup pot filled 3/4 of the way with water for about 2 hours at medium until pork is tender
2. Remove pork from pot and set on cutting board to cool, place cleaned guajillo chiles in bowl, cover with a couple cups of hot broth to soften.
3. Add hominy to soup pot, continue to cook on medium for about 15-20 minutes, in the meantime you can make the sauce.
4. in a blender combine softened guajillo, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pork broth. Blend on high setting for about 5 minutes until well blended. Pour this mixture directly into the pork broth.
5. By this point the pork meat should be cool enough to shred. Shred the pork meat and mix back into the soup, cook for another 5 minutes and its done!

serve in large soup bowls and add the garnishes you would like.

hope this was helpful, if you need tips on specifics please let me know!

Is there any significant difference in flavor/texture between freshly made and canned hominy?

http://www.ranchogordo.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=DCP1

This is far better than canned hominy

Mostlybadfly, thanks for the recipe, I really appreciate it! I'm going to try a riff on it. I don't have the guajillo but I have dried whole pasilla and ancho on hand and I really have no idea if those will work in this dish but I'm going to experiment with vegan substitution for the pork. Regarding your original question, I hope these links will be helpful.

http://www.bigjoneschicago.com/bigjonesblog/
(see May 13 blog entry)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization
(make "fresh" hominy by soaking corn kernels in alkaline(i.e. lime)

gooseberry wrote:Mostlybadfly, thanks for the recipe, I really appreciate it! I'm going to try a riff on it. I don't have the guajillo but I have dried whole pasilla and ancho on hand and I really have no idea if those will work in this dish but I'm going to experiment with vegan substitution for the pork. Regarding your original question, I hope these links will be helpful.

http://www.bigjoneschicago.com/bigjonesblog/
(see May 13 blog entry)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization
(make "fresh" hominy by soaking corn kernels in alkaline(i.e. lime)

I think a mix of those two would work well, might be smokier but tasty to be sure. Let me know how the vegan version works out and what you used in it, sounds awesome!

Thought I'd post some photos of the finished product.

Pozole with typical fixings



extreme close up

I make pozole a couple times a year and after seeing some delicious looking bowls floating around the web, i've decided to dive in again this weekend. I usually build my broth around trotters and neckbones but was wondering if others had any other suggestions? I really like the silkiness the trotters give to the soup.

Pozole- yummmm. one of my favorite Soups from Mexico...
Last weekend, my cousins newest bride (some fellas are suckers for that institution of Marriage !) from Guerro Mexico,
made the most deleciouso [b]WHITE Pozole I have ever encountered....
Veronica's was made w/ freshly reconstituted hominy-
and the net-effect was remarkable.
Lots of variety to the shapes of the little expanded corn goodness(es) (gluten-free-BTW!), and the textural suppleness
was different from the canned pozole's I've been used to, and eaten
@ Jimenez Taqueria on 3850 W. Fullerton- which serves on Saturday-
one of THE BEST Pozole's around Chicago!
Donna Veronica's Pozole Blanco used freshly made hominy- and that made it an excellent version.

Traditionally- I'd always thought of Pozole being made w/ Dried Chile de Arbol's, lending color and heat to the broth.
@ Jimenez- they often use sections of spine, as well as other regions of "El Puerco" that give oodles of savory-ness
to the mix.
BTW- if there's no "Repollo" or Cabbage to add- along w/ dried Epasote, and Radishes and Lime
and a sprinkle of Cilantro and chopped white onions- it ain't Pozole!
The "accouterments" really help to flavor (& influence) this great Mexican bowl of yummm !

AlekH wrote:I make pozole a couple times a year and after seeing some delicious looking bowls floating around the web, i've decided to dive in again this weekend. I usually build my broth around trotters and neckbones but was wondering if others had any other suggestions? I really like the silkiness the trotters give to the soup.

The pozole we had at Birrieria Zaragoza the other night featured a pork and chicken broth and I thought it was sensational.

BR wrote:

AlekH wrote:I make pozole a couple times a year and after seeing some delicious looking bowls floating around the web, i've decided to dive in again this weekend. I usually build my broth around trotters and neckbones but was wondering if others had any other suggestions? I really like the silkiness the trotters give to the soup.

The pozole we had at Birrieria Zaragoza the other night featured a pork and chicken broth and I thought it was sensational.

I've only ever done just pork, but i have some chicken stock kicking around the freezer so i'll give it a shot.

I am really glad this thread got bumped up - my daughter is coming to town for the Christmas week and Pozole is now definitely on the menu. I still have some mail order dried hominy in the cupboard. I just need to decide whether to do red or white Pozole.

BR wrote:

AlekH wrote:I make pozole a couple times a year and after seeing some delicious looking bowls floating around the web, i've decided to dive in again this weekend. I usually build my broth around trotters and neckbones but was wondering if others had any other suggestions? I really like the silkiness the trotters give to the soup.

The pozole we had at Birrieria Zaragoza the other night featured a pork and chicken broth and I thought it was sensational.

Pic from dinner at Birrieria Zaragoza on December 12/1/14 . . .


Pozole Rojo (Guajillo, Pork Shoulder, Hominy, Carnitas)

=R=

Finnished the last of my weekend pozole batch for dinner last night. Broth was trotters and neck bones simmered for a few hours in plain chicken stock and developed the great almost viscous mouthfeel I was looking for. The broth was seasoned with pureed guajillo, new mexico, and cascabel and a bit of mexican oregano. I think it will be my new go to.