Pozole Verde Recipes

VEGETARIAN POZOLE VERDE (HOMINY SOUP)

Steps:

• Place pinto beans in a large stock pot with water to cover; let soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
• Cover the beans with about 3 inches water and cook over medium-low heat until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain.
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin seeds; cook and stir until light brown and popping, about 6 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Pour pumpkin seeds and oil into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add 1/2 the tomatillos, serrano peppers, arugula, spinach, lettuce, parsley, and cilantro into the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatillos, serrano peppers, arugula, spinach, lettuce, parsley, and cilantro.
• Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a deep pot. Add the tomatillo sauce carefully. Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Pour pinto beans, vegetable stock, and hominy into the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer, uncovered, until flavors are thoroughly blended, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN POSOLE VERDE SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker; cook on Low until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 4 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Shred chicken in a large pot; add cumin, black pepper, adobo seasoning, and lime juice and mix well.
• Place tomatillos and serrano peppers in a clear microwave-safe bag. Seal bag and pierce a few times with a knife to vent. Microwave until soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Put softened tomatillos, serrano peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, and salt in a blender and blend until salsa verde is smooth.
• Mix chicken stock and hominy with shredded chicken in the large pot. Add half of the salsa verde to the shredded chicken.
• Simmer over medium heat until flavors are well-mixed, about 30 minutes.

POZOLE VERDE CON HONGOS

Steps:

• Combine tomatillos and garlic in a medium saucepan, pour in water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are mushy and soft but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer tomatillos, garlic, and 1 cup cooking liquid to a blender. Add poblano chiles, serrano chile (if using), pumpkin seeds, 1 cup cilantro, 1 cup parsley, 3 Tbsp. white onion, 1 cup broth, and 1 tsp. salt. Purée until smooth; set aside. (Work in batches if needed, or blend directly in saucepan with an immersion blender if you have one.)
• Heat oil in a large pot over high. Once it's hot, but not smoking, add mushrooms and sprinkle pepper and remaining ½ tsp. salt over; toss to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release all of their liquid and it evaporates and edges of mushrooms begin to brown, 8-10 minutes.
• Pour tomatillo purée into pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until purée thickens and darkens in color, about 10 minutes.
• Add hominy and remaining 5 cups broth to pot, stir to combine, and cook until flavors have come together, 12-15 minutes. Taste and season pozole with more salt if needed.
• Serve pozole verde with radishes, lime wedges, dried oregano, more white onion, cilantro, and parsley alongside so guests can top their bowl as desired.
• Cook's Note: To cook dried hominy: Place 1 cup hominy in a small bowl and pour in water to cover. Let soak 2-12 hours. Drain, place in a pot, and cover with a generous amount of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover. Simmer until top of each hominy blooms and opens up from the top, 2½-3 hours. Season with kosher salt.

POZOLE VERDE CON POLLO

Steps:

• Heat the bacon fat in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the poblanos, jalapeños, scallion whites, pepitas, garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice and salt. (Use 3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Working in batches, transfer some of the vegetable mixture to a blender, add some of the chicken broth and puree. Transfer the pureed mixture to a large bowl and continue until all the vegetables and broth have been blended. Return the pureed mixture to the pot and add the hominy. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the flavors come together, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, scallion greens and 2 cups water in the blender (you don't need to rinse it out!). Puree until completely smooth.
• Add the chicken and cilantro puree to the stew, remove from the heat and stir. Let sit until the chicken is heated through. Serve the pozole with the onion, radishes, avocado, chicharrones, oregano and lime wedges.

POSOLE VERDE

Steps:

• For the pork and stock: Cook the pork butt with 2 cups of the julienned onions, 5 cloves of the garlic and 5 cups water until the pork is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a pot, combine the tomatillos and jalapenos and cover with water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the tomatillos, jalapenos and 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Saute the remaining 2 cups onions and 3 cloves garlic in some of the canola oil until golden brown. Transfer to a blender and add the cumin and reserved tomatillos, jalapenos and 1 cup cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Put the remaining canola oil in a pot and heat until smoking. Add the tomatillo mixture to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook for another 15 minutes.
• When the pork is cooked, season with salt. Pull out the pork and discard all that remains. Add the pork and hominy to the pot with the tomatillo broth and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• For serving: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with some cabbage, white onions, Mexican cheese, cilantro and fried tortilla.

POZOLE VERDE (MEXICAN HOMINY AND CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Rinse nixtamal thoroughly in a strainer.
• Pour into large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot, add 4 quarts water and bring to boil.
• Simmer gently, loosely covered about 2 hours, or until tender.
• Do not allow to boil dry (enough water should remain at end of cooking time to keep nixtamal moist).
• While corn is cooking, rinse the chicken and place in a pot with 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Bring chicken to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Strain and measure broth, adding water if necessary to equal 8 cups.
• Shred meat, discarding skin and bones.
• Set aside broth and chicken.
• When nixtamal is tender, remove it to bowl.
• Rinse the pot and return cooked nixtamal to pot.
• Wash poblano chiles and discard stems and seeds.
• Cut into chunks.
• Wash cilantro and cut off tips of stems.
• Place chiles and cilantro in blender with a cup of water and whirl.
• Slice one of the onions.
• Add chile-cilantro puree, chicken broth, sliced onion, garlic cloves and 4 1/2 teaspoons of salt to nixtamal.
• Stir to combine, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook 15 more minutes.
• Dice remaining onion and place in small bowl.
• Arrange lettuce, serrano chiles, lime wedges and oregano in separate bowls, and crisp tortillas in basket or bowl.
• To serve, ladle pozole into large soup bowls and garnish with lettuce, chile slices, lime juice and oregano and tortillas.