Pozole With Duck And Mezcal Recipes

POZOLE WITH DUCK AND MEZCAL

Steps:

• Place hominy in a saucepan, add 4 cups water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside, covered, for 1 hour. Then simmer about 2 hours, partly covered, until starting to soften, adding more water if needed to keep kernels covered. Set aside.
• Heat duck fat or oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, poblano, leek and jalapeño. Cook on medium low until vegetables are soft and the onion barely starts to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chipotle powder and cayenne. Cook for a minute, then add the pineapple and duck. Drain the hominy and add it. Add the chicken stock and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low about 1 1/2 hours, until the hominy has softened, is starting to look translucent and some of the kernels are popping open.
• Season with salt and red-pepper flakes to taste. Add the lime juice. Fold in the scallions and cilantro. Divide the mezcal among 4 small glasses and serve alongside, if desired, to sip with the pozole. As guests have nearly finished their pozole suggest they pour some of the mezcal into their bowls for the last few spoonfuls.

CONFIT DUCK LEG POZOLE

Steps:

• Remove skin from duck leg and cut skin into 1/4-inch pieces. Cook skin in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and skin is golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer duck skin with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Pour off and discard fat from saucepan (or reserve for another use), then wipe pan clean and set aside.
• While skin cooks, remove duck meat from bones, reserving bones, and finely shred.
• Toast chile in dry saucepan over moderate heat, turning with tongs, until fragrant and pliable, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Cover chile with boiling-hot water and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain chile and transfer to a blender.
• While chile soaks, add onion and garlic to dry saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, oregano, honey, cumin, and reserved bones and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Discard bones.
• Blend broth mixture with softened chile and 1/4 teaspoon salt in blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer purée to saucepan. Add hominy and shredded duck meat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and salt to taste, then serve topped with duck skin.
• *Available at butcher shops, some supermarkets, and D'Artagnan (800-327-8246).
• **Available at Latino markets, many supermarkets, and Chile Today-Hot Tamale (800-468-7377).

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN POZOLE

Steps:

• This recipe requires a simple prep.
• Prepare the onion, peel the garlic, chop the onion, peel and chop the 2 garlic cloves, chop the green chilies and jalapenos if you are using them and get the hominy drained and rinsed.
• I boil my ancho chilies in a separate small pot for the garnish part(read below).
• Now you are ready to cook.
• Place the meat in a large saucepan and just cover with lightly salted water.
• Add 1/2 chopped onion, the 2 cloves peeled garlic, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, skim off any foam that rises, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Remove meat and broth, reserving both.
• Saute the remaining chopped onion and garlic in oil until translucent.
• Add the remaining spices, stir for a minute.
• Cut the reserved pork into 1 inch cubes and add to the pan.
• Stir in the canned hominy, pork broth (if there is not enough pork broth, add chicken stock, I like to add it anyway for flavor, about 2-4 cups, eyeball the amount you like), green chilies and jalapenos (optional).
• Cook at a simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat and hominy are tender.
• If necessary, cook for up to an additional 60 minutes until the chilies and onions are well blended into the broth.
• Degrease the stew, taste for salt, and serve in soup bowls.
• This is a delicious recipe and well worth the effort to make.
• Garnishes that are always served with are:.
• lots of lime/lemon wedges.
• sliced radishes.
• chopped cilantro.
• Shredded cabbage(not red).
• fresh/ packaged fried corn tortillas.
• When my ancho chilies are soft from boiling(takes about 15 minutes), then i put them in the blender with 1 1/2cups of water, 1 clove of garlic and about 2 tablespoons diced onion, and about 1 tablespoons of salt and pepper. I blend this thin, then strain it to get the liquid separated from its "pulp". I throw the pulp into the soup for the flavor i like but you can discard if too spicy for you. The remaining liquid you put in a serving dish for guests to add in their own bowl, if desired. Beware! It's HOT!

DUCK POZOLE

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large, 1-gallon stockpot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the smoked duck to the stockpot. Sear until caramelized on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and begin to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Season the onions lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the duck stock and hominy and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, occasionally skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
• Add the blanched corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pozole from the heat and stir in the cilantro, lime juice, and reserved bacon. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle pozole into soup bowls, garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, and serve immediately.

MEZCAL OLD-FASHIONED

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 8 drops mole bitters (such as Bittermens) and 2 teaspoons warm water in a rocks glass; stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 large ice cube (or 3 regular ice cubes) and pour in 2 ounces mezcal joven. Stir until the cocktail is chilled and the mezcal is diluted, about 20 seconds. Twist a strip of orange peel over the top and rub it on the inside rim of the glass before dropping it into the cocktail.

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.