Pozole

Next week is Valentine's Day.  I don't have a significant other or any exciting plans, but Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse for me to buy myself a little chocolate.  I bought myself a couple of bars of fancy chocolate last night in preparation for the upcoming holiday.

There is a store in DC called Chocolate Chocolate.  I bet you can guess what they sell.  They sell the most interesting chocolate.  They sell beautiful pieces of chocolate by the pound.  They have sophisticated flavors like honey lavender and rosemary caramel, and each flavor has a unique and colorful design.

They also sell unique chocolate bars.  I bought one that has mango and juniper in dark chocolate. I also bought a bar of dark chocolate with dried berries and toffee.  It is a fun store, but it is not cheap.  I bought less than a pound of chocolate, but spent over $20 dollars.  It's good I don't go there often.

Pozole is a a soup from Mexico.  The word pozole means hominy.  According to Wikipedia, it is a dish served in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Michoacan, Guerrero, Zacatecas, Jalisco, Morelos, the state of Mexico, and the Districto Federal. 

Pozole can be blanco, rojo, or verde.  The green version can be made green with cilantro, pepitas, or jalapeños.  The red version is red from chilies, like ancho chilies or guajillo chiles.  Pozole is often topped with shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes,  avocado, or lime.

I'm pretty confident that this recipe is not an authentic pozole recipe.  I found this pozole recipe on allrecipes.com.  I was supposed to make it in a slow-cooker, but one of my roommates was using it so I just cooked it low and slow on the stove top.

The ingredients are 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, 2 14.5 ounce cans green enchilada sauce, 1 15.5 ounce cane white hominy, 1 onion, 1/2 cup green chilies, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and shredded cabbage.

I began by added the oil and chopped onion into a pot over medium-high heat.  I cooked these for a few minutes.

I then added the minced garlic.  I continued to stir and cook the onion and garlic for about five minutes.  The onions become soft and brown.

I chopped the pork into one inch cubes.  I added them into the pot.  

I added the oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt.  I continued to cook the meat mixture until the pork had browned.

Once brown, I added the enchilada sauce, green chilis, and drained hominy.   I added enough water to cover the meat.  I let this simmer for about three hours.

I chopped the cilantro and added it to the pot.  I let it simmer for another half an hour.

 I served with soup with extra cilantro and shredded cabbage.  I think thinly sliced radishes would also have been delicious.

This was a tasty soup.  The meat was very tender and soft.  The cilantro was bright and fresh.

 I enjoyed the soft texture of the hominy. I also enjoyed the hint of heat from the cayenne and green chilies.

I didn't enjoy the taste of the enchilada sauce.  It was noticeable. It was too much really.  I tasted like enchilada sauce.

I think a more authentic recipe that doesn't rely on enchilada sauce make a more delicious soup.

Despite the enchilada sauce, it was a flavorful and tasty.

I enjoyed the crunchy cabbage on top too.  It added crisp freshness and lightened the dish a little.  It wasn't my favorite dish, but it was good.