Mexican Green Pozole
In this classic Mexican green pozole, sweet white hominy and poblano peppers swim in a spicy, smoky broth of cilantro and roasted tomatillos. Fresh radish, red cabbage, and avocado add crunch and brightness to this hearty stew. (Photo source: Jared Kent)
| Yield: 4 servings | Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes |
Ingredients
2 pounds tomatillos, husked and halved
4 tablespoons oil, divided
1 jalapeno, split in half
10 cloves garlic, whole
4 poblano peppers, seeded and diced medium (about ½ inch)
2 white onions, diced medium (about ½ inch)
2 15.5-ounce cans white hominy, drained
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch cilantro, about a quarter of the leaves picked and reserved for garnish
zest and juice of 2 limes
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
For serving
10 radishes, sliced into thin circles
1 avocado, diced
picked cilantro leaves
Preparation
Heat the broiler of the oven. Toss the tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil and lay out onto a baking pan in an even layer. Broil for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the tomatillos are lightly charred and soft.
Scrape the broiled vegetables from the baking pan into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat the rest of the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onions, poblanos, hominy, cumin, and paprika. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables start to turn translucent.
Add the blended tomatillos and the vegetable stock to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, or until the hominy is soft and the liquid has cooked down into a thick, stew-like consistency.
As the stew is cooking, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Set up a bowl with ice water. Once the water comes to a boil, place the bunch of cilantro into the pot and boil for 30 seconds. Remove the cilantro from the pot and immediately plunge it into the ice water for 2 minutes to cool it down.
Remove the cooked cilantro from the bowl and place into a blender along with ½ cup of the ice water. Blend for 1 minute until a smooth, bright green liquid forms. Reserve the liquid until the stew is done cooking.
Once the stew is done cooking, add the zest and juice of 1 lime. Stir the cilantro puree into the stew and season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, toss the shredded cabbage with the zest and juice of the other lime, sugar, chili powder, and a pinch of salt. Set aside until ready to serve.
For serving, ladle the hot stew into bowls and top each bowl with a few slices of radish, a small handful of the cabbage, and a few cubes of diced avocado.
Note: If you like this pozole, be sure to check out our red pozole, the darker, more earthy cousin of green pozole.
