posole

posole

a christmas tradition we've started doing since moving to new mexico is making posole and tamales for christmas dinner. someday, i would like to make tamales from scratch, but so far we've only bought them pre-made and just steam them christmas day. however, this year, with two tiny children, i totally slacked and i did't get to the posole until new year's day and didn't even bother picking up tamales at all. oh well. next year. maybe.

this year, i made posole with pork shoulder. i cut the meat off the bone and chopped them into bite sized pieces, then created bone broth from the bone. i merely simmered the bone in water for 24 hours in a slow-cooker, then strained the fat and bits of stuck-on meat, then skimmed the fat off the top as it cooled. it didn't make quite enough broth, so i supplemented with store-bought chicken bone broth. i also used the left over red chile sauce i had frozen from a few weeks ago when i made carne adovada.

i got this recipe from a mom friend a couple years ago, but adjusted it slightly here and there. it turned out delicious. my brother-in-law and his roommate came over to celebrate new year's day with us. his roommate is a new mexican native and has been eating posole his entire life. he said mine was just as good or better than his grandmother's! wow! it must be a good recipe.

posole

1 pound frozen posole, thawed and rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds lean pork, cubed (i used bone-in shoulder)

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups red chile sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1-3 tsp salt

about 6 cups of bone broth

rinse posole several times to wash off the lime. chop onion and mince garlic. saute both in a splash of olive oil. add cubed pork and cook on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. add rinsed posole, salt, oregano, broth, and red chile sauce. bring to a boil. simmer for about 1 hour, or until the posole blossoms. it can be eaten now, but i transferred it to a slow cooker and cooked on low for a couple of hours, and then switched to warm for several more hours. i think slow cooking at the end helped blend the flavors and soften the meat. garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and quartered limes.