For November’s Cookbook Club, we chose Rick Martinez’s Mi Cocina, and after buying all the ingredients for his Pozole Verde estilo Guerrero, I realized Alex and I had a conflict and I couldn’t go. I was genuinely bummed to miss this one, but I guess that just meant more of the phenomenal pozole for us at home.
Pozole is one of my all-time favorite soups, and it was also my introduction to the joy that is hominy (dried corn kernels that have been treated with an alkaline solution, which makes them puffed, tender, and slightly chewy, with a subtle corn sweetness).
Rick’s version starts with sautéed poblanos, jalapeños, scallions, raw papitas, garlic, and tomatillos, seasoned with coriander, cumin, and allspice. That mixture gets puréed with water, with pepitas helping to thicken and give the broth body. From there, you add hominy that’s been roasted in the oven along with seared chicken, then let everything simmer. The chicken is removed, shredded, and stirred back in before finishing with a bright, fresh cilantro-scallion purée that keeps the whole pot tasting vibrant.
The pozole is excellent on its own, but once you start piling on the toppings (onion, radish, avocado, chicharrons, oregano, chile flakes, and plenty of lime to squeeze) it becomes truly otherworldly.
Book: Mi Cocina, page 116
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: Chicharrons
Version of the recipe on FoodNetwork.com.
