Red Posole with Pork and Chorizo

So yesterday afternoon was cool and rainy.  We had finished all the French Onion Soup from the previous day and were trying to decide what to make.  I had been making a giant pot of home made chicken stock using the carcass of a rotisserie chicken from earlier in the week and it was happily simmering on the stove.  What to make? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Doug and I like to play the game where we cook using only things we happen to have in the house.  No cheating and running to the grocery store.  We found some frozen chicken and pork tenderloin, and various odds and ends.  Then our friend Chris Pfitzer (author of Delicious) posted on facebook that he was going to make a pork posole.  Bingo!  That was the perfect thing, and we had all the ingredients on hand in the house.  Thanks for the genius idea Chris!

There are probably as many recipes for posole as there are cooks who make this hearty Mexican soup/stew.  The one thing they all have in common is posole (hominy), hence the name.  We loved this version made with spicy Mexican chorizo and red salsa.  You can make your own salsa if you like, but commercially prepared salsa works just fine.  The Mexican chorizo we use is soft, sort of the consistency of breakfast sausage.  It is loaded with achiote and other spices and is really quite hot/spicy, so we didn't add any additional jalapenos etc., but feel free to adjust the heat according to your taste.

The only problem is we finished the entire pot, so now we have to think of something else for dinner tonight!


Red Posole with Pork and Chorizo
serves 6-8

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cubed into 1-inch chunks
4 oz. soft Mexican chorizo
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 jigger tequila
2 cups tomato-based salsa
28 oz. drained hominy (pozole)
6 cups chicken stock
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments:  Cubed avacado, tortilla chips, sour cream, napa cabbage, radishes, shaved jicama

In a large heavy soup pot heat the oil over high heat.  Add the cubed pork and cook, tossing occasionally until very well browned, about 15 minutes.  

 The pork must be well-browned in order to get the maximum flavor.

Remove browned pork from the pot and reserve. Reduce heat to medium high and add chorizo to pot and cook briefly until browned, about 2 minutes,  Add onions, garlic, cumin, corriander, and oregano and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze pan with tequila.

De-glazing the onions, herbs and chorizo with Tequila, fills the air with an intoxicating aroma!

Add salsa, stock and hominy.  Return pork to pot.  Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce temperature to low and simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered.  Serve hot with tortilla chips, diced avacado and sour cream.