Do you know what hominy is? My mother served it when I was a kid and I was aware that it was some form of corn, but I never really knew what made a kernel of corn puff up into something that was two or three times its original size. As I developed the recipe for this post, my curiosity got the best of me and I did a little research.
As it turns out, the process of nixtamalization coverts field corn, or maize, to hominy. Nixtamalization involves soaking and cooking the corn in a lime or lye solution. The corrosive properties of the solution dissolve the hulls of the kernels and causes them to puff up. After processing, the kernels are dried and stored for packaging. To cook, dried hominy must be soaked overnight and boiled for a couple of hours. Canned hominy, which is readily available in supermarkets, is a convenient alternative and is ready to use.
For this post, I put hominy to good use in posole, a Mexican stew made from pork and this puffed form of corn. A bland food by itself, hominy absorbs the flavors of the spices and the richness of the stock as it simmers with the other ingredients and becomes a delicious addition to this stew.
Posole serves as a base for a variety of fresh garnishes. When topped with radishes, scallions, avocado, cabbage, cilantro, and carrots, this dish becomes a wonderful combination of stew and salad in one dish. It’s the perfect remedy for a bitterly cold winter night.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
6 cups chicken stock
2 15-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 white cabbage, thinly sliced
4 to 5 large radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced scallions
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Brown pork in batches and set aside.
2. Transfer onion to pot and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add oregano, chili powder, and cumin. Stir until well combined.
3. Add chicken stock, hominy, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat simmer. Add pork, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until pork is tender.
4. Place garnishes in small bowls. Ladle posole into soup bowls and serve with garnishes.
https://southernboydishes.com/2014/01/07/posole/
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Hi Bill! Just discovered your blog and I love your recipes. Right now I’m living in Greece and we don’t have hominy here, but by looking at your photo hominy reminded me of chickpeas that we use a lot here and I just thought I might try this recipe and use chickpeas instead of hominy. Do you think this will ruin the recipe? If so is there something else I could use? Again, very happy to have found you!
Hi Markella! Thank you so much for finding me and I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the recipes!Posole is a classic Mexican dish and the hominy is a primary ingredient. Although chickpeas look a little like hominy, they are very different textures. However, you could change the name and just call it a stew and substitute any beans you’d like. I’m sure it would be delicious! Let me know how it turns out. Thanks again for the visit and I hope you’ll come back soon!
I’ve been wanting to make posole for the longest time and you reminded me again today. Maybe it will warm my bitter cold body…and I’m not even in the whole polar vortex business; just Colorado where it’s ALWAYS cold in January!
Looks SO good!
Thanks for dropping by, Barbara!
Hominy, I just got introduced to it through Giada De larentis. I’ve loved it since.
This dish looks mighty yummy, never heard of it though, pretty excited to try it out.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I’ve know about it since my childhood but probably haven’t used it since then. I think you’ll like this recipe. Great for cold weather. Happy New Year, Ash!
I haven’t made posole in ages. Love the stuff, though – had some at a friend’s house a month or so ago. Yours looks wonderful. And really pretty! Good stuff – thanks.
I appreciate it, John!
I love Posole! My recipe came from aWeight Watchers Crock Pot book 🙂 I had never heard of it before but fell in love with the hominy and Mexican flavors. I’m sure yours is better….cant wait to try it!
I’m definitely putting this recipe on my list to make again. It’s great for the cold winter months! Thanks for dropping by, Kathi!
I love learning new things and I have never had or heard of “posole” or the steps involved in making hominy!
Bill – your posole looks delightful – your photos amazing!
Thank you, Shashi! I always appreciate your support!
Oh how I love posole’! I made a pot during the holidays as well. Costco had a 5 pound bag of fresh hominy still soaking in lime. Needless to say, most of it is in the freezer. 🙂 Your bowl of posole look quite scrumptious! I love all of your garnishes! Garnishes are the big difference between Mexican posole and NM posole’. New Mexican don’t usually garnish, but this New Mexican does. My favorite is shredded cabbage and cilantro. Love the idea of using radish. I’ll have to remember that. Happy New Year Bill!
Thanks, MJ. I’m sure you’re more of an expert on this dish than me. I’m in the garnish camp, too. I love the combination of warm and savory and fresh and crunchy! Happy New Year to you as well!
Thanks for this! I’ve been wanting to make Posole for ages but it always seemed daunting to me for some reason. Now, I’ll be sure to try it – yours looks delicious!
Thanks for dropping by, Susan. Let me know how it turns out.
I ADORE POSOLE!!!
Thanks for the comment, Jocelyn!
I learned something new today about hominy (smile). The posole looks amazing.
Happy New Year!
Thanks for dropping by, Velva! Happy New Year!