Po So Lay

Posole (pronounced Po-so-lay) is a New Mexico treat. The Pueblo Indians who inhabit the Rio Grande Valley consider it a feast day favorite. But it's great for a gloomy, rainy day (which today happens to be). This can be done in either a slow cooker or in a heavy pot on a very low, well watched stove.

My friend Kelsey (fellow Bates College graduate) at http://www.thenaptimechef.com/2011/10/costco-pork-deals-of-the-week/ mentioned in her blog this week that Costco has Boneless Sirloin Tip Roasts on sale. Down here, all I seem to find is pork butts for BBQ, so I was pleased to find this different cut of pork. I needed milk, so I went over to Costco after Zumba class and picked up some pork. 




Posole
By Tina Brickley Engberg


8-10 servings, takes about 40 minutes active time, and 4-6 hours in the slow cooker on low


2 cans of hominy http://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/products/details.jsp?upc=3940001723, drained
2 small cans of chopped green chile (if you can get larger cans where you live, rock on!) 
3 medium onions, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 lbs. pork, cut into small chunks (preferably Boneless Sirloin Tip Roast meat)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt (salt about an hour before finished)
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water (optional)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced


Cooked white or brown rice


Heat a heavy pot on the stovetop over medium high heat, place 2 Tbsp. of oil in it, and add pork in sections, to brown the meat. Take meat out of pot on stove and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add onion and garlic to the meat in the slow cooker (you may brown the onion and garlic beforehand if that's your preference). Turn off fire on stove. Add thyme, bay leaves, pepper, chicken broth and jalapeno peppers to slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 4-6 hours. We like our posole to be more like a soup than a stew, so if need be, add a bit of water to it as it cooks. In the last hour of cooking, taste the broth for seasoning. Some chicken broths can be overly salty, so check that first, and then add salt to your taste. Also add the two cans of green chile and drained cans of hominy at the end, so that they don't get mushy. 


Serve over 1/2 cup of cooked white or brown rice (optional). 

Layer the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves in the bottom of the slow cooker

Brown your meats so they caramelize and seal in the juices

Posole getting started in the slow cooker. Check back in a few hours!  

Posole is the ultimate Southwestern comfort food.