Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pozole - Columbian style corn soup



This recipe was based off Bobby Flays Posole recipe. I have tried to combine what he did with a traditional Pozole recipe.

Serves 8-10
For Soup:
60 Oz chicken broth ( optionally you can use a low sodium version. I used 2x14oz & 1x32oz cans. )
25 Oz White Hominy (you can find this near the canned corn aisle of your grocery store)
7 Ancho chile
3 Negro chile
1 Big Carrot
1 Red Pepper
5 Pearl Onions
3-4 Cloves of garlic
1 tblspn ground black pepper
2 Oz dried porcine mushroom
Salt to taste
Meat:
Traditional pozole recipes use a combination of chicken and pork, braised and then shredded. I have made this twice and have used different kind of meat on both occasions. You can opt to take 3 Lb of chicken breast, cut into small pieces ( 1" strips ) and shallow frying them by dredging them in a coating of flour , black pepper , oregano & paprika. Alternatively you can get a store brought rotiserrie chicken and shred it into thin 1" strips.

For Garnish:
1 Bag of White & Blue corn tortilla chips
2 Cups of Queso Fresco ( or any other quick melting cheese would do )
Chopped Cilantro
Lime
1 Cup of sour cream

Method:

Start by boiling the stock in a large vessel with the hominy for about 10-15 mins on medium high. Once the stock comes to a boil, turn the temperature down to medium.

Now place a colander into the vessel such that its submerged into the stock halfway through. Now add the carrot , red pepper , pearl onions & the garlic to the liquid in the colander. Leave them there for about 10 mins. Once the vegetables have cooked, take them out in a bowl with a little stock.

Whilst the stock is boiling and the vegetables are cooking, roast the chiles in a pan on high for about a minute on each side. Then soak the chiles in a big cup by adding in enough boiling stock to cover them and leave for 5-6 minutes. If you plan on using the mushrooms, soak them too by pouring in a ladle of hot stock.

Puree the vegetables from the colander and back into the stock. Cut the mushrooms into 1" strips and add into the stock. Puree the the chiles. Add about half of the puree back into the stock leaving the rest aside for later. Add the chicken into the stock and let the soup simmer for 30-40 mins. Add in the salt and black pepper.

About 15-20 minutes before serving. Bring the soup back to a simmer by leaving on Med-Lo heat. Place the corn tortilla on a large cookie sheet and spray with PAM or any other vegetable oil. Set the oven on broil and place the cookie sheet on the lowest rack. Leave the tortilla in for no longer than 3-4 minutes. Monitor the chips closely until they develop a golden-brown ( light ) color and remove. Serve in a large soup bowl topping with cheese , cilantro , lime , browned tortilla chips and sour cream ( in that order ).

Pair with empanadas.