Tis the season for Pozole Colorado

By: La Voz Staff

We are in the midst of the holiday season and while we try to recover from our food comas induced by our overindulgence of tryptophan, mash taters and pumpkin cheesecake we gear up for yet another round of comfort foods for Christmas.

We can’t think of a better comfort food for the Holiday season than Pozole Colorado. While pozole isn’t just a holiday food and can be enjoyed anytime of year, it just hits better for Christmas and we can’t argue. The following recipe was offered by one of La Voz employees.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil – (for sautéing)
• 3 1⁄2 lb Pork Roast – boneless or bone in. Bone in is recommended. (Remove meat from bone but use bone for added flavor)
• 1 large white onion
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 4-6 ancho chile peppers
• 4-5 dried guajillo chile peppers
• 3-6 dried arbol chile peppers
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of Mexican oregano
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 3 15oz cans of white hominy drained and rinsed
• Three limes, one juiced other two for garnishment. • Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 avocados sliced for garnishment
• 4 thinly sliced radishes
• One bushel of cilantro cut for garnishment
• 1⁄4 head of shredded cabbage
• Tostada shells or tortilla chips

Pozole Colorado

1. Cut pork off bone (if boneless cut pork into large 2 inch chunks) into 2 inch chunks and season with salt and pepper liberally on all sides of each chunk of pork.
2. Remove seeds from all dried chile pods. (remove seeds from Ancho, Guajillo and Arbol chiles).
3. Brown pork on all sides in a 6-8 quart Dutch oven on medium high turning the chunks after brown- ing each side for 2-3 minutes. Add bone to pork.
4. Cut onion into quarters and add to pork chunks along with dried chilies, garlic cloves, 6 Cups of chicken broth and a teaspoon of salt. Try to push the dried chilies under the chunks of pork and onion so that they are submerged and not floating on the surface.
5. Simmer for 50-60 minutes until pork is tender enough to push your spoon through the pork and easy to shred.
6. Remove the pork and shred in a separate bowl and set aside.
7. Discard bay leaves and remaining bone.
8. Place the onion, hydrated chilies and garlic into a blender along with the remaining broth and pureeinto a thick red sauce.
9. Return red sauce to Dutch oven along with shredded pork and white hominy.
10. Add the juice of one lime and bring pot to medium. Let Pozole Colorado simmer medium low until ready to serve.

Garnishment

Adding garnishment to your Pozole Colorado is completely up to you, however; using all the garnishments listed in the recipe above is highly recommended.

Ladle two scoops of Pozole Colorado in your favorite bowl, adding Mexican oregano, cilantro, cabbage, radishes and avocados along with salt to taste. Tostada and or tortilla chips can be used as a vessel for this delicious Pozole Colorado recipe. You may also want to dice some white onion and fresh jalapeño to also use as garnishment.

Advice: keep in mind that the best-prepped meals are products of great preparation and planning. Having all your ducks in a row instead of running around trying to find ingredients can make all the difference in the world.