Quick Red Pozole with Pork

Just over a week ago, before I left for Los Angeles for a work-related trip, it was 83 degrees in Portland. Beautiful and sunny. I was savoring every autumn day that felt like summer. And doing my best to ignore the fact that we actually desperately needed the rain, and how unsettling it is to see the seasons shift so dramatically. I was in LA for about a week, and during that time I missed the horrible smoke from nearby fires that kept everyone inside. No recess, no playgrounds, no bike rides -- everyone was housebound. 

I returned home the night the smoke cleared, and the rain returned. Now it's mid-50s, gray and rainy every day. Autumn came late but so did summer this year. We celebrated the 4th of July in the cold wind and rain and picked pumpkins in the sweaty 80-degree October sun. The new normal.

With the first fire of the season going in the fireplace, and the rain pouring outside, it seemed like the right time to make soup. And since we've been lamenting the absence of stellar Mexican food up here, I thought I'd spin up an easy version of a red chili and pork stew that I've made before. A quick and easy version of Pozole. It was so easy and good that I wanted to be sure to document it so I have it here to refer to later. It was a hit with the kids. Lucky for us, they love any kind of Mexican food. We're slowly making the rounds of all the taco trucks around here that have been recommended. Still haven't found our go-to, but we'll keep trying for posterity. Can a decent mission-style burrito be found outside of the Bay Area in PDX? If I find one, I'll let you know. 

So here you go -- my first recipe here in several years. I think it's a good one. 

Quick Red Pozole with Pork

2 small white or red onions, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 poblano peppers, diced (remove seeds)

1/2 cup cilantro (or more to taste) chop stems separately from leaves

2 Tbsp chili powder

Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp neutral oil 

2 cans hominy (16oz each)

10-12oz chopped pork (you can buy pork strips and either cut or chop to bite sized pieces) 

2 cups beef broth

2 cups water

2 limes

Sliced radishes for serving

Chopped avocado for serving

Chopped green cabbage for serving. 

Tortilla chips for serving

Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds) for serving

Sour cream for serving

Dice onions, garlic, cilantro (keeping chopped stems and leaves separate), and poblano peppers. 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium-high until it shimmers. Pat and dry the pork, cut or chop it into bite-sized pieces, and season all over with salt and pepper. Add the pork and cook without stirring until the pork has browned on one side. This should take 3-4 minutes. At this point, give it a stir and cook a minute or 2 more until the pork is cooked through. Then, transfer the pork to a plate. 

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add all but 1/4 cup of the diced onions, garlic, peppers, and cilantro stems to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until everything starts to soften and brown slightly, 5-7 minutes. If the veggies start to brown too quickly, turn down the heat a bit. Next, add the 2 tablespoons chili powder, and cook until coated and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes more. 

Add all of the hominy to the pot with the veggies and spices, along with 2 cups beef broth and 2 cups water. Bring everything to a simmer, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot while stirring. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the stew thickens a bit. 

While the stew is simmering, wash and thinly slice the radishes, cut the limes into wedges and chop your avocado.

Once 10 minutes of simmering is up, add the pork to the pot with the broth and veggies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot over chopped slices of green cabbage in bowls. Top with radish, avocado, remaining diced onions, pepitas, and crumbled tortilla chips. Add a bit of sour cream, a lot of lime, and cilantro on top.