Santa Fe School of Cooking (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Serves 8–10
Posole, or spicy hominy stew, is traditionally served in New Mexico or Texas. Hominy, a dried and rehydrated white corn kernel, can be found in any international food aisle in your local grocery store. If you have never had hominy, posole is by far the best way to experience it.
Story by Chef Nicole
2 cups posole, picked over for dirt or stones (may substitute rehydrated canned hominy)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic (see Chef’s Tips on garlic, this page)
1 ounce New Mexico dried red chile pods (4 or 5 pods), stems and seeds removed (see Chef’s Tips on chiles, this page)
5 cups chicken broth
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, divided
Salt, to taste
Put posole in a 6-quart pot and cover with cold water (until it reaches 3 inches over the posole). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, adding water as needed until the posole has softened and begun to burst. Drain the posole, rinse well, and set aside (if using canned hominy, omit this step).
Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot, and sauté the onions until golden. Add the garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the dried chiles, broth, and half of the cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add hominy and salt, and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasonings.