Posole Rojo

If you know me, you know about my love for a Mexico City, the architecture, the people, the FOOD! I mean, I did make 150 of my closest friends and family all go down for my wedding this past April! This soup is an ode to one of my favorite restaurants in CDMX, not Rosetta or Contramar, which are pricier but oh so good, but Casa de Tono, a pozole chain restaurant, where you can get heaping bowls of pozole (seriously order a small, it’s the size of your head) with all the fixings for around $5 US. Here is my gringa recipe for less inflammatory pozole - using only Chili’s (anti-inflammatory) instead of tomato’s (inflammatory) and a moderate amount of hominy (a relative of corn that can be inflammatory to some). Anti-inflammatory or not, this soup packs a serious flavor punch and will warm you up on these cold winter nights. While the recipe has a fair amount of steps, don’t let that scare you! It’s fairly easy to make and worth the extra effort. Last note - Do not skimp on the garnishes! They are an absolute requirement! Here’s what you need:

INGREDIENTS
Filtered water
3 lbs whole chicken
White onion, peeled and cut in half
1 head plus 5 cloves garlic
2 Tbs oregano, divided
3 bay leaves
5 guajillo chilis, de-seeded
5 Padilla chili’s, de-seeded
1 tbs olive oil
25 Oz can of Hominy, drained and rinsed
GARNISHES
Thinly sliced cabbage
Thinly sliced white onion
Thinly sliced jalapeño
Thinly sliced raddish
Avocado
Limes

INSTRUCTIONS

BROTH
1. In a large pot add chicken, head of garlic, half the white onion and cover with filtered water, about 8-10 cups. Add bay leaves and 1 Tbs oregano, bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is fully cooked and pull apart tender, about 45 minutes.
2. Strain and set aside broth
3. Let chicken cool then shred! Discard skin, save bones for future bone broth. Set chicken aside

CHILI BASE
1. Add both chilies, other half of white onion, garlic cloves and oregano to a small pot and cover with filtered water, about 2 cups. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. If you don’t have a high powered vitamix, I suggest letting it cool before blending.
3. Strain chili purée in a mesh sieve to remove any dried chili skins. Discard skins and set chili base aside.
SOUP
1. Now that your broth and base are ready you can start putting together the pozole. In a large pot add olive oil on medium heat high heat. Once shimmering, add chili base and toast for 1-3 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth to chili base and mix. Salt the broth well.
3. Add hominy and shredded chicken. Cook an additional 30 minutes to let all the flavors meld together. Add more salt to taste.
Serve pozole in large bowls with garnishes on the side so everyone can pile up they’re favorite add one. Enjoy!