Mexican soul food soup warms the spirits of our Southern neighbors
If you’re not already familiar with the soul-warming, hangover-curing, sickness-repelling properties of posole, then you might gaze upon this simple-looking bowl of liquid comfort and wonder what the fuss is all about. I can assure you that the fuss is about flavor and it is all well deserved.
Posole is a Mexican soup made from nixtamalized corn, red or green chilies, pork, garlic, and onions. It is served with a variety of toppings such as shredded cabbage, radish, lime, oregano, salsa and sour cream. Every region in Mexico has its own version of posole, but almost all are a variation on this core theme.
Ancient Aztec recipes for posole called for the chopped up bodies of prisoners who had their hearts torn out in ritual sacrifice. If prisoner bodies aren’t available in your area, then pork is a suitable substitute (#buylocal). These early posole recipes also included sacred cacahuazintle corn that had been nixtamalized with lye—or what Southerners simply refer to as hominy. These kernels of giant, mutant corn floating in rich, porky broth are at the heart of posole’s spectacular flavor.
Like French bouillabaisse, Russians borscht and Vietnamese pho, posole is soul food. Like most good soul food, it sounds simple when you look at the ingredients but the whole is exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. The slightly sour tomatillos, for example, bring complex notes of citrus to the stew, while the roasted corn, chilis and cumin make the rich pork broth both spicy, soothing and as comforting as a mother’s hug.
Thank God there are no walls big enough or hands tiny enough to stop the magical flavors, soul-soothing aromas and healing properties of posole.
Provecho!
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, plus more if needed
- 3 cup fresh corn kernels
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp black pepper, plus more as needed
- 3/4 tbsp salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 5 lbs pork rib tips
- 6 tbsp lard
- 1 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cup chopped tomatillos
- 4 1/2 cup Mexican canned hominy, rinsed thoroughly
- 2 1/2 cup diced pimento
- 1/4 cup diced fresh jalapeño
- 12 poached eggs (or one per bowl at service time)
- Crumbled Cotija cheese, for topping
- Roughly chopped cilantro, for topping
- Thinly sliced cabbage, for topping
- Lime wedges
- Warm tortillas
Instructions
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Swirl the cumin seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat for about 45 seconds until they begin to brown. Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside.
Toss the corn and 2 tbsp of olive oil together, spread the mixture on a nonstick baking sheet and roast in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the corn begins to brown lightly. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, pepper, salt, and ground cumin in a shallow bowl. Pat the rib tips dry and dredge in the seasoned flour—set aside. Warm 3 tbsp of lard and the remaining 4 tbsp oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat for 1 minute.
Working in batches, cook a few rib tip pieces at a time (no crowding) until lightly browned on both sides, 3–4 minutes per side. Set aside on a plate covered with paper towels.
Pro tip: Don’t burn the flour that will form in the bottom of the pan—you’ll need that.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons lard in the same pot and stir in the onion and garlic until the onion begins to turn transparent. Return the rib tips to the pot and add enough water to cover.
Turn the heat to low and add the oregano, toasted cumin seeds, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat starts to pull away from the bone. Add water as needed to keep the tips covered.
Stir in tomatillos, hominy, roasted corn, pimento, and jalapeño and simmer for another 1 1/2 hours or until the meat begins to pull apart easily. Season with salt and pepper (I like to add more toasted cumin seeds at this point). Remove and toss out the bay leaves.
At service, top each bowl with a poached egg, Cotija cheese and serve with warm tortillas, sliced cabbage, onion, lime wedges and cilantro.
Longtime food writer and professional chef Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan currently living abroad who has trained chefs, owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits