hominy

Heirloom Yellow Hominy with Roasted Tomatoes, Bacon and Chipotle Crema

/ Ren

A Northerner tells a waitress that he wants to order grits.  “Hominy, sir?”  the waitress asks.  “Oh, about four or five,” replies the confused customer..

Hominy with Roasted Tomatoes, Bacon and Chipotle Crema

Heirloom yellow hominy corn is nixtamalized, then simmered until the kernels have popped and become tender.  The cooked corn is cooled by being rubbed between your palms under cold running water, with the pericarp (the skin that gets stuck in your teeth when you eat corn on the cob) being left behind.  The corn is then set aside until ready to use.

To prepare the dish, slowly fry diced bacon on a cast iron comal or in a heavy skillet until all the fat has rendered and the bacon is very crisp.  Remove the bacon to the side to drain, and pour off all but a tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

Roast a plum tomato or two in a very hot oven until blistered, then remove and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, return the comal to the stove and add half a chopped yellow onion and a diced Poblano pepper and saute until lightly browned.  Add hominy and garlic and cook until vegetables are nicely browned.  Dice the roasted tomatoes and add to the pan with some fresh minced garlic, chili powder, a little filtered water and some oregano (Mexican preferred).  Allow to simmer, stirring often until the sauce begins to tighten, about 5 minutes.

Pour hominy into serving bowls, dress with reserved bacon, fresh cilantro and chipotle crema and serve immediately.

(Vegetarian) Posole Verde

/ Ren

Posole is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew made from cacahuazintle corn (nixtamalized whole hominy) with roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic, fresh green chilies and cilantro.  Typically found in Michoacán, Jalisco and the American Southwest, posole is sometimes considered to be more of a delicacy than an everyday dish..

Posole Verde

Posole Verde (adapted from a recipe by Rancho Gordo)

1/4 pound posole (whole dried hominy)
2 small white onions, peeled and halved
4 garlic cloves, peeled
15 to 20 tomatillos, paper skins removed & halved through the equator
2 poblano chiles
1 serrano chile
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 quarts vegetable broth
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Soak posole overnight in cool, filtered water.  Drain, rinse and add to a heavy saucepan with 1/2 an onion and enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered until barely tender, about 2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then drain and set aside.

Roast garlic, onions, tomatillos and chilies in a hot oven until blistered and partially blackened.  Place the chilies in a paper bag or under an inverted bowl for 10-15 minutes to soften, then peel & discard the stem and most of the skin, ribs and seeds.

Working in batches, process the vegetables in a food processor until semi-smooth.

Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Toast the cumin until fragrant, then add the corn and sauté until lightly browned.  Add puréed vegetables and cook, stirring often until thick, about 10 minutes.  Add vegetable stock, cilantro and oregano, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

To serve, ladle into bowls and serve hot with fresh guacamole and slivered radishes.

 

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Southwest Grilled Pork Ribeye with Fried Nixtamal

/ Ren

Tender, pastured pork rib-eyes marinated in annatto oil, garlic and mild Adobo seasoning served with nixtamal fried in butter with green onions, yellow tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and fresh jalapeños..

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Soak nixtamal (traditional, lime-slaked dried maize) overnight in cool, filtered water.  Boil slowly in a heavy pot of fresh water until just tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, marinate pork in annatto oil, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano and adobo-style seasoning for at least 2 hours.

Fry nixtamal, whole cumin and pumpkin seeds in pastured butter until browned.  Add green onions, peppers, tomatoes, sea salt, cracked pepper and just a pinch of coarse, non-refined sugar and sauté quickly until the tomatoes give up most of their liquid, perhaps 5 minutes.  Toss with chopped cilantro just before serving.

Meanwhile, grill the pork rib-eyes until medium-done and nicely marked, but still plump and juicy.  Hit everything with a modest squeeze of fresh lime and serve hot from the pan.

To make annatto oil, toast achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil and store indefinitely in a cool, dark place.

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Pozole Roja with Cornsticks

/ Ren

Pozole Roja is a traditional pre-Colombian stew, adopted as the local cuisine of Guerrero, Mexico. In the US state of New Mexico, pozole (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve to celebrate life’s blessings.

While it looks a little complicated, it really isn’t hard.  As long as you have “mise en place” (everything in place) before starting, you’ll get through this fine, and be justly rewarded in the end.

Pork shoulder, dried ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic, achiote seeds, dark chocolate with chipotle, cinnamon and cocoa nibs, crema (think of Mexican crème fraîche), fresh cilantro, fresh mint, key limes, Spanish onion, Mexican oregano, olive oil, peppercorns and nixtamal (white corn/hominy).

Start by toasting the achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil through a coffee filter placed inside a funnel.  Stored in a cool, dark place, annatto oil will keep indefinitely.

Trim the excess fat from the pork, but leave a little intact. In a Dutch oven, sear the pork in a little of the annatto oil.  Add onions, garlic and oregano and cook another 5 minutes.

Add water (or stock, if you prefer) to cover, cilantro and mint (I’ve stuffed the herbs into a cheesecloth bag for easy removal) and S&P. Simmer until pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Split the chilies and remove the stems and seeds. Place on a flat skillet and weight for about 20 seconds. Flip and repeat.

Transfer the toasted chilies to a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand until soft, about 1/2 hour.

Gather up the ingredients for cornbread.  Coarse-ground yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour, milk, baking powder, butter, egg, chiles and salt.

Lightly toast the cornmeal on a dry skillet to bring out the flavor, then add it to the bowl with the other ingredients (I’ve added a little shredded cheddar cheese). Mix until just combined, about 1 minute.  Do not over mix.

Blend the re-hydrated chiles with 1/2 of its soaking water until smooth. Transfer to pan and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the hominy and simmer another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the cornbread mix into a pre-heated iron cornstick pan (or muffin tins or 8×8 glass baking dish) and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Serve in a bowl garnished with crema, chopped mint and cilantro, and shaved chocolate.