Posole POSOLE STEW
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VEGETABLE CORN BREAD
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GREEN MANGO WITH SALT AND LIME
Dos Cabezas Cabernet Sauvignon, NM or Sierra Blanca Nut Brown Beer, NM
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Every region produces a dish that is reminiscent of a similar dish made elsewhere. Posole is the Southwestern version of hominy, not unlike large kernels of samp. Simply boiled it sustained the Pueblo community. Posole is a generic term both for the dry treated kernel and for this stew. Over the years, each incoming settlement added an ingredient to the recipe for posole: a bone, morsels of meat, culminating with the addition of sausage and saffron. When it came to sweets, not every region depended on sugar. Honey was easily available, but in these arid regions they developed a habit of salting sweet fruits.
POSOLE STEW
INGREDIENTS 3 thick slices slab bacon 3/ 4 pound pork shoulder or neck, cut into 1-inch cubes 3/ 4 pound lamb shoulder or neck, cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and freshly milled pepper 2 medium onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 to 4 quarts chicken stock, as needed (see Basics, page 332) or canned low-sodium chicken broth 2 pounds dried posole (or hominy) 10 fresh green New Mexican, Poblano or Anaheim chile peppers, peeled, seeded, deveined, and chopped 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano 2 pinches saffron threads 3/ 4 pound Linguiça sausage 3/ 4 pound chorizo or Italian sweet sausage 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley METHOD In a heavy skillet, render the bacon. Drain on paper towels when crisp. Season the pork and lamb with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in the bacon fat over moderately high heat. Remove and set aside.
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Cover and refrigerate. Add the onions and garlic to the bacon fat in the skillet and sautÊ until translucent and set aside. Add 1/ 2 cup of the chicken stock to the skillet and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom. Pour the liquid into a large kettle. Add approximately 3 quarts of the chicken stock, the posole, green chile peppers, oregano, saffron, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring from time to time and adding more chicken stock or water as needed. Add the pork and lamb, and continue to cook for 1 to 1 1/ 2 hours, until the posole is tender. Twenty minutes before the posole is ready to serve, prepare the sausages. Poach the Linguiça sausages in a pot of simmering water for 15 minutes. In a medium skillet filled with 1/ 4 inch of water, cook the chorizo over moderately high heat until the water evaporates and the sausages brown. Place the posole in a heated crock or bowl. Arrange the sausages in the posole. Dust with the chopped cilantro or parsley and serve. Serves 8 to 10