Foodist Approved: Mexican Pozole Soup Recipe

Pork Pozole Verde Soup

I asked Darya what she was craving this week and she said a Mexican-style soup. I tend to cook a lot of food that’s French and Italian, inspired by my time living abroad in Switzerland, so I was thrilled to turn-up-the-heat and experiment with creating a dish that incorporates roasted peppers, earthy cumin, and slow-cooked pork shoulder.

If you haven’t cooked much with pork, this recipe will inspire you to try something new. Pork can be a healthy and richly satisfying part of your healthstyle if you seek out a butcher selling local meat that’s been raised humanely. After a long, slow simmer (a slow-cooker works best) the pork shoulder gets so tender that you can shred it into bite-size pieces reminiscent of Southern-style pulled pork.

To save time, this dish can be made with canned diced green chiles, but prying open a can isn’t nearly as much fun as charring a whole tray of fresh peppers (just try not to set off the fire alarm!). It takes just two to three Anaheim peppers to add some nice heat to the soup, but if you’re going to go to the trouble to roast fresh peppers you might as well char a whole bunch.

You can chop and freeze the extra roasted peppers in individual portions for future soups, stews, or my personal fave—homemade fire-roasted salsa (tomato season is almost here).

Just before serving, stir in chopped purple cabbage to sneak in a cruciferous star and to add a satisfying crunch to each bowl.

Pork Pozole Verde

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 fresh Anaheim peppers (or Poblano chiles) or 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles (hot)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (cut in half if broth is not low sodium), divided
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 32-ounce boxes (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of fat
• 1 (15-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained (or garbanzo beans)
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 head red cabbage, sliced, optional
• Juice of 1 lime
• Optional toppings: avocado, radish, additional cilantro, Cotija or feta, lime wedge, cooked rice

Preparation

Set a rack on the oven’s highest shelf and preheat the broiler. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast under the broiler until blackened on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the peppers and use tongs to rotate them every 2 minutes.

Immediately transfer the peppers to a zipper bag and seal the bag to steam the peppers and make them easier to peel. After 20 minutes remove the peppers from the bag, slice off the stems, peel off the skins, remove and discard the seeds, chop the peppers, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften but do not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and stir continuously for 1 minute longer. Or, if you have a slow-cooker with a sauté setting, then use that instead of a skillet.

Transfer the sautéed onions and spices to your slow cooker and add the broth, pork shoulder, hominy or garbanzo beans, peppers, and the remaining teaspoon of salt (only if your broth is low-sodium). Set to low heat and the timer to 4 or more hours, or until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a slow-cooker this recipe can be made on the stovetop in a heavy-bottomed soup pot with a lid but you’ll have to keep an eye on it to ensure it stays at a slow simmer.

Just before serving, spoon off excess fat (if needed), add the cabbage (if desired), 3/4 of the cilantro (save remainder for garnishing), and lime juice and cook just until the cabbage softens. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or lime juice, if needed.

Ladle into individual bowls, add any assortment of your favorite mix-ins and garnishes including cooked brown rice, cilantro, sliced radishes, chopped avocado, crumbled cheese, and/or lime wedges, and serve.

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in individual portions.

Elyse Kopecky is a whole foods chef currently co-authoring a cookbook for runners, Run Fast Eat Slow, with Olympic marathoner and longtime friend, Shalane Flanagan. After 10 years working for Nike and EA Sports, Elyse decided to pursue her passion for talking and writing about food. She went to NYC to study culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute and has taken cooking classes throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Sign-up for sneak peeks of Shalane and Elyse’s book at runfasteatslow.com or follow along @ElyseKopecky.

from Summer Tomato http://summertomato.com/foodist-approved-mexican-pork-pozole-soup-recipe
via Holistic Clients