Posole....tinkering with....

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

The recipe I'm going back to is in this thread.

Here is the direct link to the specific post:
Cathy4017's Posole

[South Valley Gal]

I actually don't like the standard New Mexican posole - gasp! the only thing New Mexican that I DON'T like! - I find the pork broth really greasy and unappealing, and this isn't my favorite way to consume red chile, either (that would be carne adovada). So I've tinkered with the general idea for more than a decade, and have eventually devised a form of posole that I like.

I spend a couple of days prepping dried posole (Hopi blue or Apache red, and I try to buy it directly from them) - soak it for at least overnight, longer if possible, then drain it off and boil it in chicken stock until it all pops open. Then, in a really big pot, I saute onions, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil, add in the posole and lots of fresh parsley, some dried basil, about a pound of chopped roasted green chile, lots of minced garlic, and one or two whole dried chipotles. I fill the pot two-thirds full with chicken stock, and slide in about four big chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) when it comes to a boil (I take the meat off the bone before serving). Salt and pepper to taste, maybe a dash or two of ground chipotle, and top it off with more chicken stock as needed.

In an effort to New Mexicanize this obviously non-standard dish, I call it Posole Verde Con Pollo... but I'm not fooling anybody here. It's just the world's best chicken soup with hominy and chile, but it's reeeeeeeeeeeally good and a reliable crowd pleaser.

[Cathy4017]

Sounds very tasty! I added a couple of chipotle chiles to my posole the other day, too.

What color is the dried blue when it cooks?

I remember getting my first plate of blue corn enchiladas (in Texas, rolled)...topped with green sauce and white cheese. Very good, but weird to look at...purple!!

[lalahartma]

That does sound great, South Valley Gal!

[AlisonL]

A bit off topic, but the next time I go to the grocery store, I'm going to make a list of all the veggies that are new to me. Then I am going to ask all you cooks to tell me how to prepare them.

[ziaAirmac]

This was my take on it (recipe is a few posts in.).

http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-m...er-posole.html

[South Valley Gal]

Cathy4017, the blue and red posole both look pretty much the same when they pop - white, like popped popcorn, but you can still see the blue or red covering, which adds a really rustic touch to the dish. I swear they taste distinctly different (Hopi blue is very mild, the Apache red is my favorite but really hard to find), and nothing like the stuff you get in a can. Worth the work.

And I've found that the dried chipotles add something wonderful to almost everything. Not the same taste as the ground up stuff, much more smoky and deeply spiced tasting - narrow but deep, as opposed to the ground, which is broader but shallow. Does that make sense?

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by South Valley Gal

Cathy4017, the blue and red posole both look pretty much the same when they pop - white, like popped popcorn, but you can still see the blue or red covering, which adds a really rustic touch to the dish. I swear they taste distinctly different (Hopi blue is very mild, the Apache red is my favorite but really hard to find), and nothing like the stuff you get in a can. Worth the work.

And I've found that the dried chipotles add something wonderful to almost everything. Not the same taste as the ground up stuff, much more smoky and deeply spiced tasting - narrow but deep, as opposed to the ground, which is broader but shallow. Does that make sense?

Yes! My crockpot of black beans is ready to eat, too.....and has a couple of chipotles floating around in there somewhere!