Red Chile Pozole Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, then onion, celery and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the zucchini. Cook 5 more minutes, until zucchini is slightly softened, then remove from heat. Transfer vegetables to a plate and reserve.
• Return pot to medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, then Protein Starter. Using a wooden spoon, break apart into pieces about 1/2-inch big. Cook 8 to 10 minutes or until Protein Starter is lightly golden. Add ancho chile, adobo sauce, ground cumin, and chile powder. Cook 2 more minutes, breaking up ancho chile with spoon.
• Add vegetable broth, hominy, bay leaves, oregano, and reserved vegetable mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with kosher salt, if desired.
• To serve, top with cilantro leaves, diced avocado, and radishes. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips, if desired.

Steps:

• Drain soaked hominy and put in large soup pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Let simmer briskly for 1 hour.
• While hominy is cooking, make red chile purée: Toast dried chiles lightly in cast-iron skillet or stovetop grill, just until fragrant. Wearing gloves, slit chiles lengthwise with paring knife. Remove and discard stems and seeds. Put chiles in saucepan and cover with 4 cups water. Simmer 30 minutes and let cool. In blender, purée chiles to a smooth paste using some cooking water as necessary. Purée should be of milkshake consistency.
• Season pork belly and pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper. After posole has cooked 1 hour, add pork shoulder, pork belly, onion stuck with cloves, bay leaf, garlic and cumin. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, then return to a brisk simmer. While adding water occasionally and tasting broth for salt, simmer for about 2 1/2 hours more, until meat is tender and posole grains have softened and burst. Skim fat from surface of broth.
• Stir in 1 cup chile purée and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. (At this point, posole can be cooled completely and reheated later. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
• To serve, ladle posole, meat and broth into wide bowls. Pass bowls of diced onion, lime wedges, cilantro and oregano, and let guests garnish to taste.