March finds us still enduring (bravely…ahem, or kind of) wintry weather a month after Master Punxsutawney Phil made his predictions. I guess he was right. Again! Today is, therefore, a good day to have some delectable Green Posole (Pozole Verde).
We have been doing our fair share of “winter workouts”. By that I mean shoveling snow every day and trudging through knee-high snow. That has to count towards my daily cardio, right? It sure feels like it!
It will surely count toward calorie burn. Anyone who has ever shoveled show and tried to get from Point A to Point B though a snow drift will tell you!
So Green Posole (Pozole Verde), brace yourself because this cold and hangry crowd is headed your way.
I have a preliminary clarification before we get into the thick of it: the only difference between “Posole” and “Pozole” is the spelling. I am guessing that because of the difference in phonetics between the “z” and the “s” the logical English choice of spelling would be the “s” to make it as close as the original pre-columbian word sound as possible.
Also, you might want to try our Red Chicken Pozole recipe!
Notes
You can use pork instead of chicken; you can use beef broth instead of chicken broth if using pork or, preferably, the juices left from cooking the pork cut. Pork shoulder, cooked and pulled is a good choice of cut for Pozole. People in Mexico also use fatty parts, like the pork ears or jowls, to make it more flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast (or 2 cups of pork), cooked, skin removed and shredded
- 4 cups chicken broth (read note if using pork instead) from cooking the chicken (you can use commercial broth too)
- 1 25 oz. can Mexican Style Hominy, canning liquid discarded
- 1 lbs. tomatillo (the ones covered in the papery husks; remove husks before using)
- 1/2 cup shelled, roasted and unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1 Chile Serrano or Jalapeño, deveined and seeded (use less if too spicy for you or not deveined and seeded if you want it spicier)
- 1 Chile Poblano, deveined and seeded (use less if too spicy for you or not deveined and seeded if you want it spicier)
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small bunch of radishes, with stalks and leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 onion for the green sauce
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper
- 4 large epazote leaves (optional)
- 2 -3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped for garnishing
- Sliced radishes for garnishing
- Dried oregano, for garnishing and added flavor
- 1 oz Pork Skins, for garnishing
- 1 diced avocado for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- In the blender puree tomatillo, pepitas, chile Serrano, chile Poblano, cilantro leaves, radish leaves, garlic cloves, cumin seeds, 1/2 onion and epazote leaves, if using. Once smooth, pour sauce into a large skillet with the olive oil; to add “body” and fiber to the soup, do not pass sauce through strainer. Fry until the sauce changes color, from bright green to a more subdued shade (see images above).
- In a large pot pour the chicken broth and bring to a boil; add the fried green sauce. Bring to a boil again, add the shredded chicken and the hominy and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes so that all flavors come nicely together. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with sliced radishes, chopped onion, pork skins, diced avocado and oregano. Pick your favorite garnishings, everyone has their favorites, so do not sweat it if you can’t find the pork skins, for instance. The soup is full of flavor already.
- Make sure not to move the spoon or the ladle around in the soup too much once you turn off the heat; hominy ferments rather easily.
[…] to pick from. If you’d like to have some kind of stew or soup, I suggest you go for Green Pozole or Red Pozole. Pozole is so hearty that it doubles as a main […]
Hi friend, looks yummy!
Hey you! This Posole is exquisite; a must-try!