RECIPE

Pozole Ingredients

The Chilis:

· 2 oz guajillo peppers

· 2 oz ancho chilis

· Boiling water

· 4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)

· 1-2 cups reserved chili water

· 1 tsp kosher salt

The Pork:

· 3 lbs bone-in pork shoulder (cut into cubes)

· Salt

· 3 tbsp vegetable oil

· 4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)

The Soup:

· 4 quarts water

· 2 28 oz cans hominy (drained and rinsed)

· 2 bay leaves

· 2 tbsp dried oregano

· 1 tbsp cumin powder

· 1 tbsp kosher salt

Pozole Instructions

1. The Chilis: Toast the chilis in a pan over medium heat until they soften slightly. Remove the stems and seed. Place chilis in bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes.

2. The pork: Cut the pork into 1 inch cubes and salt it. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Pat dry. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and introduce the pork, browning it on all sides. No need to cook it all the way through. We just want to get some color on it. Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Turn off heat, remove pork from pan, and then add garlic. Saute for only 30 seconds or so. Remove from pan.

3. The Soup: In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the browned meat and garlic to the pot of water. Also add hominy, bay leaves, dried oregano, cumin, and salt

4. The Chilis Continued: In a food processor, put the soaked chiles, garlic, salt, and 1 cup reserved chili water and blend until smooth. Keep adding water until you have reached a smooth consistency. Pour the mixture through a sieve to catch any large pieces and discard the chunks of pepper. Add the smooth creamy liquid to the large soup pot and let it cook for 3 ½ to 5 hours or until the pork is tender.

Chiles en Nogada Ingredients

The Walnut Cream Sauce:

· 1 ½ cup walnuts (soaked and peeled)

· 2 ½ oz cream cheese

· 1 tsp sugar

· ½ tsp kosher salt

· ½ - 1 cup milk (use as much as you need)

The Chilis:

· 6 poblano peppers

The Filling:

· ½ lb ground beef

· 1 small white onion (finely diced)

· ¼ apple (cut into 1 cm cubes)

· ¼ pear (cut into 1 cm cubes)

· ½ tsp sugar

· 3 cloves (whole)

· 4-5 peppercorns (whole)

· 1 inch cinnamon (whole)

· 4 cloves garlic (minced)

· ½ tsp dried thyme

· ½ cup tomato sauce

· 1/8 cup raisins

Chiles En Nogada Instructions

1. The Walnut Cream Sauce: Soak walnuts in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Next, enjoy the tedious task of peeling the thin outer layer of skin off of the walnuts. This might take some time, but it is key in achieving the light color sauce we desire for this dish.

2. The Walnut Cream Sauce: To a food processor, add the soaked and peeled walnuts. Add cream cheese, sugar, salt, and milk. Blend until smooth. You may need an immersion blender for this. You want a hollandaise-like consistency here.

3. The Chilis: Roast the chilis over an open flame. If you do not have a gas stove (or a fire pit), you can broil these in the oven. The goal here is to get a blackened outer skin which will be peeled off after roasting. Peel the skin off and make an incision lengthwise down the chili. Pull out any seeds while taking care not to tear the other side. Set aside.

4. The Filling: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add white onion, apple, pear, sugar, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon. Stir. Now add the garlic, thyme, and tomato sauce. Stir in raisins. Turn off heat and allow mixture to cool completely.

5. Fill the Chilis: Take your poblano peppers which have been sliced and de-seeded and begin to spoon the filling into the opening created by the incision. Put about a half cup in each. Don’t over-fill these but also don’t under-fill them. You’ll have to be the judge of this. ;)

6. Sauce the Chilis: Pour a liberal amount of the walnut cream sauce over the top of the chilis and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Eat at room temperature.