The Soup Diaries

"Pozole,” said my special friend Beatrice Diaz, “that’s what you cook for a big party.” She was born 92 years ago to an Ajo farm-worker family. While they were poor by today’s standards, on the ranch they knew how to celebrate life with good food from the land. Along with other festive foods, family, friends, neighbors and visitors always enjoyed pozole in big batches.

What makes pozole is nixtamal. There are many kinds of pozole, maybe as many as there are little grandmothers in Mexico, but it always contains the delicious, soft corn kernels called nixtamal. The name comes from the ancient Nahuatl Aztec language — nextli meaning ashes, and tamalli meaning corn dough.

‍Nixtamal is made by cooking and soaking dry field corn in an alkaline solution of food-grade slaked lime (cal). This processing technique dates back 3,500 years, and maybe started with ash blown into a pot on an open fire. Nixtamalization softens the corn, enhances its flavor, makes it easy to grind and easy to work. It makes corn much more nutritious and digestible, releasing niacin (vitamin B3), amino acids and calcium. Nixtamal corn (aka hominy) is ground to make masa for tortillas and tamales. If you visit a big Mexican market you will find dried, frozen and canned nixtamal. All the supermarkets carry canned nixtamal. Look for Juanita’s Mexican-Style Hominy.

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Pozole Rojo

This recipe is for red pozole, which is enriched with red chili sauce. If you use mild chilies, you can make it mild; use hot chilies to make it spicy hot. It makes 10-12 generous servings, enough for a party. The vegan variation substitutes mushrooms for the meat, and is pretty darn good.

Start with the stock by heating 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot and adding 1½ pounds chopped mushrooms (for vegan variation), and the following chopped vegetables (for both meat and vegan): 1 onion, 2 stalks celery, 4 large cloves of garlic. Sauté until the onions are golden, then add 10 cups water and 1½ pounds of pork, chicken thighs or beef and some bones (or no meat for the vegan version). Toss in some spices: 2 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves, 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, 1 tablespoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon ground coriander. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer till the meat is tender and falls from the bone. For the vegan version, an hour of cooking is sufficient. Half an hour before the end of cooking, add 4 cups of fresh or frozen nixtamal/hominy (if you are using canned, add that later). Additionally for the vegan version add 4 cups cooked or canned pinto or black beans and 4 cups of cubed butternut squash.

While the meat and vegetables are simmering, make the chili sauce. Take 2 or 3 ounces of dried chili pods, mild or hot to your preference. Stem, seed and soak them in enough hot water to cover. They should soften up in about 15 minutes. Pour the chilies and liquid into a blender with 6 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a teaspoon each of ground cumin and Mexican oregano. Buzz till very smooth; add more water if necessary.

Remove meat from the stock with a slotted spoon and cool for a few minutes. Remove bones and cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to cooking liquid. If you're using canned nixtamal, add 6 cups. Add the chili sauce and 2 chopped onions. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Salt is usually required to balance flavors.

Traditional garnishes include finely sliced cabbage, red onion, radishes and limes cut into wedges. Serve it in wide bowls with lots of broth and warm corn tortillas on the side. Each diner adds their own garnishes, including a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of Mexican oregano as a personal blessing.

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Recipes and Notes

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Pozole Rojo — Red Chile Pozole

Stock Ingredients
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
10 cups water, more as needed
1½ pounds chicken thighs or pork with bones or beef, or 1½ pounds mushrooms, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 allspice berries
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Red Chile Ingredients
2-3 ounces dried New Mexico chili pods (mild or hot to your preference), stemmed and seeded
Hot soup stock or water
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

Additional Ingredients
4 cups frozen or 6 cups canned nixtamal/hominy
4 cups cooked or canned beans (preferably black or pinto beans) for vegan version
4 cups cubed butternut squash for vegan version
2 onions, chopped

Condiments
Cabbage, finely cut
Red onion, finely chopped
Limes, cut into wedges
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Mexican oregano
Warm corn tortillas

For the stock, heat the oil in a large pot and add the chopped mushrooms (for vegan variation). For both variations add the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté till the onions are golden, then add the water. If you’re making the omnivore variation, add the meat and bones. Add all the remaining spices..

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer till the meat is tender and falls from the bone, which might take a couple of hours. For the vegan version, 1 hour cooking is sufficient. Half an hour before the end of cooking, add 4 cups of fresh or frozen nixtamal/hominy* (if you are using canned, add that later). Additionally for the vegan version add the beans and butternut squash at this time.

Red Chile Sauce

While the meat and vegetables are simmering, make the red chile sauce. Stem and seed the chilies and soak them in enough hot water to cover. After about 15 minutes pour this soak into a blender with the garlic, salt and spices. Buzz till very smooth. Add more water if necessary.

Remove meat with slotted spoon and cool to room temperature for 15 minutes. Remove bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to cooking liquid. Add the canned nixtamal/hominy now, with the red chili paste and 2 chopped onions. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add salt and more seasonings as necessary to brighten the flavor.

Traditional garnishes include finely sliced cabbage, red onion, radishes, cilantro and lime. Serve the pozole in wide bowls with lots of broth and warm corn tortillas on the side. Each diner adds their own garnishes, including a healthy squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of Mexican oregano.

Notes on Ingredients

Dried red New Mexico chili pods are at most large grocery stores and all Mexican markets. I used Barker’s, which are packaged and shipped by Mesilla Valley Chili Company, Hatch NM. They come mild or hot. Remove stems and seeds. Wear gloves when handling the hot ones and don’t rub your eyes.

Mexican spices sold in cellophane packages in the Mexican-spice section of most supermarkets under the brand name of El Guapo:
Mexican oregano: More pungent and flavorful than Mediterranean oregano
Allspice berries: Also known as pimenton
Coriander and cumin: Toast and grind your own for maximum flavor.

Nixtamal/Hominy is corn that has been cooked and soaked in an alkaline bath. Available dried, wet, frozen, or canned (Juanita’s Mexican Style Hominy), it’s the precursor for tortillas, tamales and other tortilla-based foods.