Posole Verde
When my husband, Steve, was a vegetarian, I had to come up with all sorts of variations on my favorite dishes to accommodate his dietary needs. (He has since come back to the dark side.) Since one of my favorites has always been Posole, I wanted to come up with a variation that we would both enjoy. (For more on posole, see my Feb. 28, 2012 post “Posole (…or Pozole)”.)
Traditional posole is always made with meat. Usually pork. However, my recipe is a quick, easy, and most importantly, tasty recipe that will make vegetarian and non-vegetarians alike very happy. And full.
Now, to the recipe.
*********************************
Notes:
a) I realize I’m wandering dangerously close into Sandra Lee territory with all the canned ingredients. But, trust me, they work in this dish. However, if you’d like to use all fresh, be my guest.
b) If you omit the cheese as a garnish and cook the hominy from dried, you can make this dish vegan. If you’d like to add some protein, use chicken broth and add some cooked chicken at the end.
The ingredients
Clockwise from top: ground cumin, salt, black pepper, Mexican oregano
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 med. white onion, diced
3 cl. garlic, minced
1 small can (approximately 1/2 c.) salsa verde
2 small cans (approxomately 1/2 c.) chopped green chiles, hot, mild, or a combination
2 cans hominy, drained
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 c. vegetable broth
few dashes green Tabasco
Juice of 1 lime, or to taste
For garnish:
chopped avocado
diced queso fresco
chopped cilantro
fresh limes, quartered (because I like more lime than most normal people)
corn tortillas
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Sauteing the onion and garlic.
2. Add the salsa verde and the chiles. Saute another 2 -3 minutes. Add the oregano, cumin, salt & pepper. Saute another 2 – 3 minutes.
Sauteing the salsa verde, chiles, and spices
3. Add the hominy and saute for another 2 – 3 minutes.
Adding the hominy
4. Add the vegetable broth and a few dashes of the green Tabasco.
Adding the broth and Tabasco.
Cover the saucepan and bring the broth to a boil. Uncover, lower the heat to medium low, and cook for 30 – 45 minutes. The soup will thicken slightly as it cooks.
Stir frequently. Taste for seasoning after the first 30 minutes.
The posole after 45 minutes of cooking. It’s reduced and thickened slightly.
5. After the initial cooking time, add the lime juice and cook another 5 minutes. Taste the soup for seasoning.
Mmmm….
6. Serve the posole with queso fresco, chopped cilantro, chopped avocado, and more lime. Have heated corn tortillas on the side.
The condiment tray. clockwise from top: chopped cilantro, queso fresco, chopped avocado, limes.
Dinner!
Enjoy!
