Pozole Rojo

Simmering in chicken broth with hints of oregano and thyme, dense puffs of hominy cook with guajillo chiles and chicken breasts for about an hour and a half until soft, then the chicken is shredded and added back in. This is dish is known for its myriad of toppings, including sliced radishes, finely diced onions, shredded lettuce, oregano, lime, avocado, and a spicy salsa. And of course, you can't eat pozole without tostadas (those big round tortilla chips) on the side, which are simple and blanketed with crema, shredded queso fresco, and salsa de chile de árbol if you're brave.

Start to finish: about 2.5 hours

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

(Pozole)

1kg chicken breast

2kg hominy (in cans or in bags, depending on how you find it)

15 guajillo chiles

1 large white onion, quartered

1 head of garlic

Salt, to taste

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs thyme, stems removed

(Toppings)

Limes

Shredded lettuce

Radishes, sliced

Dried oregano

Salsa de chile de árbol

White onion, finely diced

Avocado, sliced

(Tostadas)

1-2 bags of tostadas (depends how many you want to eat)

Refried beans

4 cups Mexican Crema (if you can’t find Mexican crema, mix 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups sour cream, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature a few hours before serving).

4 cups shredded queso fresco

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cover hominy with water and bring to a boil.

2. In a separate pot, cover the dried guajillos with water and boil until they're smooth and soft to the touch, about 20 minutes.

3. When the hominy water’s boiling, put chicken breasts in the pot and add 20 cups of water.

4. In a blender or food processor, blend onion and garlic with a few tablespoons of water until liquid. Add to pot, along with 2 tablespoons of salt.

5. Place oregano and thyme in a cheesecloth, tie it closed, and place in the pot. (If you don’t have a cheesecloth, a thin cotton rag or tea-infuser ball will do!)

6. When the guajillos are soft, drain the water from the pot and put the chiles into the blender with a little water to make blending easier (about 1/2 cup of water). Liquefy.

7. Using a collander below to sift out the seeds and chunks of chiles, add the blended chiles into the soup pot.

7. Bring to boil and leave for 1.5 hours.

8. Remove chicken breasts from pot and, using your hands or a fork, pull the meat into small shreds.

9. Put the shredded chicken back in the pot.

10. Boil for another 20 minutes.

11. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy with assorted fix-ins and tostadas :)