Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew

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             FOOD FUNNY
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I love this one from Donna in Minnesota:

Trying to control my dry hair, I treated my scalp with olive oil before
washing it. Worried that the oil might leave an odor, I washed my hair
several times. That night when I went to bed, I leaned over to my
husband and asked, "Do I smell like olive oil?"

"No," he said, sniffing me, then replied, "Do I smell like Popeye?"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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Legend has it that this dish was invented in the Mexican town of Chilapa
when a visiting dignitary was about to arrive. The women realized that
they didn't have time to grind the corn and make tortillas, so they just
tossed the corn into the pork stew. True or not, this dish is now found
all over Mexico as well as the Southwestern United States.

Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew (Pozole Rojo)

8 cloves garlic, peeled
6 cups (1.5 L) water
2 cups (500 ml) canned or fresh chicken stock
2 lbs (1 kg) country-style pork ribs
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
3 dried New Mexico or ancho chiles
1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
1/2 small white onion, peeled
1 Tbs (15 ml) salt
1-30 oz (840 g) can white hominy, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying

Garnishes:
Fried tortilla strips (see recipe)
Diced avocado
Thinly sliced romaine lettuce
Chopped white onion
Diced radishes
Lime wedges

Thinly slice 6 of the garlic cloves and add them to a large soup pot
with the water, chicken broth, pork, and oregano. Bring to a boil,
reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 1+1/2 hours, skimming the surface to remove scum.

Discard the stem from the chiles and combine them with the boiling water
in a small bowl. Soak for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Combine the
onion, soaked chiles (along with the liquid), the remaining 2 cloves of
garlic, and the salt in an electric blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Remove the pork from the broth mixture, reserving the broth. Shred the
pork and discard the bones. Return the pork to the broth mixture, and
add the hominy and chile sauce. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut the tortillas in half, and then into thin strips. Heat the oil in a
heavy skillet over high heat and fry them in 3 or 4 batches until crisp,
1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve the pozole with the garnishes in individual bowls, for diners to add at the table.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Mon Sep 15 18:46:07 2008