Thanksgiving last night was a relaxing and low-key affair with gentle friends, easy conversation, delicious food, cats poking their heads in everywhere they’re not supposed to (i.e. in the masa and in the bowl of brussels sprouts), and a fun round of apples to apples. The star of the meal, however, was definitely the pozole that Julio took the lead on and which we cooked together.
I swear, Julio is going to have his own restaurant someday, and, right now, he is testing and honing his recipes. His restaurant will be probably the only one in Mexico where you will be able to get any traditional Mexican dish vegan and allergen-free. :)
Many Mexican restaurants serve pozole (hominy soup traditionally made with chicken or pork) and menudo (tripe soup) only on the weekends. Therefore, I had always assumed that there was something particularly complicated about it. In reality, it’s a pretty simple and easy soup (especially if you make it vegetarian). The flavor all depends on the salsa, though, and the toppings. Julio made his salsa ahead of time, so I don’t know exactly how he made it as far as quantities are concerned. In fact, quantities are pretty loose overall in this recipe. I’m just going to list the ingredients and not worry about the measurements. You really can’t go wrong. Trust your eye and your instinct, and taste along the way.
POZOLE ROJO (Red Pozole)
INGREDIENTS – SOUP
olive oil
carrots, chopped
white onion, diced
potatoes, chopped into small chunks
pozole (hominy) – you can make it fresh which takes a long time or just buy it in a can and rinse
a few bay leaves
salt
INGREDIENTS – SALSA
about 1 cup guajillo chiles (or arbol chiles)
water to cover the chiles
1-2 small tomatoes
INGREDIENTS – TOPPINGS
diced white onion
shredded iceberg lettuce or cabbage
chopped radishes (optional)
avocado slices
fresh lime wedges
fried tortilla strips
TO MAKE:
Heat the oil in a big soup pot. Add the diced onion and carrot. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Cover with water and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and the potato and enough water to cover with about 1 inch to spare. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Add the salsa* and the pozole (hominy). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Serve with the toppings. I really recommend making the friend tortilla strips yourself and not just buying tostadas. It’s worth the effort. All you have to do is cut up regular corn tortillas into strips (I prefer the brand El Milagro). Heat about 1/4 inch of corn oil in a pot. When the oil is hot, drop the strips in. Remove when they are golden brown. Let dry on paper towel before serving. You can add salt if you really want to, but I didn’t find it necessary.
*For the salsa, cover the chiles with water and soak overnight. Blend the chiles with the soaking water and the tomatoes. Adjust the ratio to taste.
Eat and enjoy!
Note: For meat eaters, simply place a bowl of cooked chicken or whatever preferred meat out as a topping.
**********************
We made tortillas by hand to eat with our pozole, and it was so much fun. You need a tortilla press and some good masa and a griddle or flat pan or comal to cook them on. The key is really in the masa. I bought the masa we used from Los Amigos on 51st and Kedzie. The cook looked at me skeptically when I walked in and asked in Spanish, “You know how to make tortillas?” I responded, “Of course!” I mean, theoretically… my past experiences with tortilla making have always resulted in some very holy tortillas…. and I don’t mind blessed. This time, though, the tortillas didn’t stick to my hand. They turned out perfectly smooth and deliciously chewy. The secret is all in the masa. Los Amigos told me they buy their masa from Popo Tortilleria. I’m not sure where this is, but it is on my list of destinations now.
Making tortillas by yourself is meditative. Making tortillas with friends is one of the most pleasurable cooking experiences I know.
I’m not sure why my captions aren’t appearing on my photos, but in the first picture below, Shea and Julio are making tortillas. In the second pictures, los hermanos Perez (Martin and Julio are brothers) are making tortillas. They both swore that this was their first time making tortillas, but apparently 20+ years of observing their mother at work taught them well.







I began by soaking the mung beans for about a day. Apparently, you can sprout them, too. Next time, I’ll plan way ahead and give them time to sprout, but they seemed fine as they were. A little note on mung beans… they are originally from India but quickly spread into Chinese cuisine as well. They don’t need to be presoaked if you’re cooking them, and they are easy to digest. They are superstars in the ayurvedic system, because they are tri-doshic, meaning that they are balancing for all three doshas…. pretty rare and pretty cool. Mung beans are high in protein, fiber, and potassium. As an added bonus, they’re usually cheap to buy. Hooray for mung!





















