POZOLE ROJO - ONE OF THE MANY GREAT SOUPS OF MEXICO

Whilst in Mexico a few years back I was fortunate enough to try many Mexican soups, with the most memorable being pozole rojo, which, like most great Mexican food, is born from the home, with chilli and corn playing a great part.

This soup certainly packs a punch, with smoky, sweet and hot chilli adding real depth to the corn-based favour of pozole.

Pozole rojo can be made with chicken, turkey or beef, but this version uses pork, in an attempt to bring back my memories of that wonderful trip to Mexico, served up with a variety of vegetable accompaniments, and a large glass of michelada, the spicy beer and lime cocktail so popular in Mexico.

INGREDIENTS

Pozole Rojo

• 7 Dried guajillo chillis
• 2 Dried casabel chillis (or use ancho)
• 2 Dried red chillis (optional)
• 1.5ltr Water
• 500g Pork shoulder, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 100g flour
• Vegetable oil
• 10tbsp Salt
• 4 Cloves garlic, sliced
• 500g Canned hominy, drained
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1tbsp Ground cumin
• 2 Heaped tbsp Mexican oregano (or use plain oregano)
• 1 tbsp pepper

Garnish

• Spring onions, sliced
• Fresh coriander, chopped
• Radishes, sliced
• Avocado, sliced
• Green chilli, sliced
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Limes, cut in half
• Cabbage, sliced & boiled
• Large tortilla, fried & cut into wedges

Michelada

• Salt
• Cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 Ice cubes
• 1 lime & it's juice
• 1tsp Soy sauce
• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1tsp Hot sauce
• 1tsp Tomato puree
• 1 bottle light beer, such as Sol

METHOD

Pozole Rojo

1. Remove the stems and seeds from the chills, dry fry them on a medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes and add to a pan of boiling water, immediately removing from heat.  Leave the chillis to soak for at least 20 minutes.
2. Coat the diced pork with seasoned flour, and fry in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until browned all over.  Depending on the size of your pan it may be best to do this in batches.  When browned, tip the pork pieces into a large pan and fill with 1ltr boiling water.
3. In the pan used for frying the pork, gently fry 2 sliced cloves of garlic until lightly browned, and add to the pan of water and pork.
4. Add the hominy, bay leaves, ground cumin, Mexican oregano and 7 tbsp salt to the water, pork and garlic, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Blend the chillis, chilli liquid, 2 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon salt together to form a puree, and pass through a sieve to the pan of pork and water.
6. Bring the soup to a boil and gently simmer for 3 hours, covered, skimming off the scum that arises ever 30 minutes.
7. Prepare the garnishes while the soup simmers.
8. To serve, add a ladle of hominy and pork to individual bowls, toping with enough liquid to cover the meat and corn.  Add the prepared vegetables to another large bowl, allowing each diner to choose their own garnishes.
9. Enjoy with a large glass of michelada

Michelada

1. Rub a lime wedge over the rim of a glass and dip into salt (and the optional cayenne pepper)
2. Mix the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lime juice and tomato puree in the glass, adding a lime wedge.
3. Add 4 ice cubes to the glass and pour in the beer.
4. Drink.

ADDITIONAL INFO

I wrote this recipe for Travel Relish, a mash-up of travel and food-related stuff to keep you entertained, informed and inspired.  Check out my recipe here or the website @ www.travelrelish.co.uk.