FOOD FINDS: Posole: The hominy of the Southwest

Corn, or maize,is arguably one of the most versatile foods endemic to the new world. The king of American grasses and grains, corn was one of the few plants cultivated by native peoples prior to the arrival of the agriculturally adept Europeans, and it was also the primary cereal staple of many Pre-Colombian tribes.

Corn can be eaten fresh off the cob, boiled, milled into flour, pulverized into a sweet coulis, or dried and stored for later use. Whether the kernels are tossed into a popcorn popper, ladled onto the griddle as blue corn pancakes, ground into masa for tamales, or simply thrown on the grill as a naked spear and smothered in butter, corn is a distinctly American food, present in one form or another at every national holiday.

For that reason, posole - the hominy of the American Southwest - is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish. Like sweet potatoes, turkey, cranberry and pumpkins, corn was one of the foods enjoyed by the Pilgrims after their landing at Plymouth Rock...or so the elementary school fable goes.

Posole is the traditional dish of Christmas Eve, served after the reenactment of the Posadas - a type of local theater in which a young man and a woman, representing Joseph and the Virgin Mary, go door to door seeking shelter. However, like most foods of fanfare, posole has expanded its calendar to meet the demands of the hungry.

Hundreds of posole recipes exist and, like spaghetti and apple pie, most families have a traditional recipe that has been passed down through the generations with little or no modification. Some posole recipes start with a mire poix base, others with chicken stock; some use copious amounts of dried ancho or New Mexican chilis, others use none; some include chicharrones - or cubes of crispy fried pig fat - while more conscientiously-geared alternatives favor chicken breast.

Despite varying ingredients, the only issue of any real significance is that there is no such thing as Minute Posole; proper preparation is a day long activity. And come November 24th, when you place a steaming pot of posole next to the turkey and mashed potatoes, your family will be thankful you took the time to meticulously prepare such a festive dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. dried posole
2-3 lb. bone-in pork shoulder
3 cups (24 ounces) chicken stock or equivalent in bouillon cubes
3 cloves garlic, crudely diced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
2-3 tablespoons ground red chili or 3 dried red chili pods (crushed, seeds removed)
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lime, juiced


Rinse dried posole and remove any fragmented, discolored or objectionable kernels. To encourage the blooming of the posole, snip off any excess pieces of cob that may be stuck to the tip of each kernel. Place posole in a 4 quart pot or larger and add 3 quarts of water. Place over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium.

Cut the meat from around the bone of the pork shoulder. Place the pork bone in the posole. Keep the temperature of the posole to a low boil.

Trim the excess fat from pork shoulder and cut the remaining meat into 1 inch cubes. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the cubed pork to the water. Parboil the meat for 5-7 minutes, skimming off any fat that rises to the top of the water. (This will keep your posole having a high fat content.) Strain meat and set aside.

Continue to add water throughout the entire cooking process so the water level in the pot is always 1 to 2 inches above the level of the expanding posole. After the posole has been cooking for 1.5 hours, add the parboiled pork, chicken stock garlic, bay leaves, Mexican oregano, black pepper, and lime juice. Continue to cook at a low boil for four hours or until the posole has fully bloomed and become soft. Remove pork shoulder bones.

Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and tortillas.

Serves 6-8

A slightly altered form of the above originally appeared in Crosswinds Weekly (www.crosswindsweekly.com), Nov. 19-23 issue.