i will start by apologizing for my masterpiece of a picture…. we made this last night and packed it away for lunch at work. Sadly, didn’t get a chance to take a snapshot of it in the crockpot in the morning… thinking back, totally should have. But hey, this is a blog about a working law student. When finals are less than a month away, I’m just happy I’m eating homemade food and not suffering through the cafeteria at work. But below is a picture of a totally legit traditional pozole and the link to an old fashioned variation on the recipe:

Oh, wait… you can’t read Spanish? Just click the translate link at the top for Google.. it’s a pretty good translation

. Gosh, and you thought I tricked you or was testing your language skills. No , Spanish was not a requirement to read this website. I will also add that you may notice the ingredients are fairly different in the recipe in the link above in comparison to mine… each region in each Latin country makes this soup differently… like hot dogs in all the regions in the US: NY style dog, Chicago dog, Coney dog… etc.

Pozole… a traditional Mexican dish, well really, most Latin countries have a spin on this. Every year during when we travel to visit my family in Mexico for Christmas, they serve this soup/stew at the posadas. So, educational side note on Posadas in Mexico which actually originated from Spain. They’re a type of party celebrating the birth of Christ. Families and neighborhoods host them (almost like a large block party) and all the children walk the streets singing, knocking on neighbors’ doors. The children represent Mary and Joseph seeking a place to stay the night Jesus was born. Finally, after stopping and serenading multiple homes, the children knock on the last door – the host’s home! The host lets everyone in and the rest of the celebrations begin. Inside the home there’s pinatas, candy, treats, and a feast for everyone (plus some) to partake in. There’s also the praying of the rosary – and I will admit, this is where my Mexican Catholic roots get a little shaky… 1) I’m fluent in Spanish, but needless to say, never learned the rosary. Heck, I barely know it in English! and 2) I will admit, I’m too anxious for the food to truly pay attention to the whole praying part. My sense of smell and taste buds are pretty much reminding me the whole time that there’s a kitchen full of cooked food just waiting… waiting for the prayer to finish and for the feasting to begin.

So, anywho… the quintessential part of Pozole or Posole depending on how you’d like to spell it is hominy – large, white corn kernels. The meat can range from chicken to pork to beef or a combination of any of the three. This recipe, just chicken. This is a great alternative to chicken soup AND it has a little kick, so also great if you’re trying to clear out your sinuses from a cold.

Ingredients

1 Pack of Chicken Thighs or about (6) of them
1 Can of Hominy (29 oz) – Drained
1 Can of Green Chiles (~4 oz)
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 Medium Onion – Chopped
3-4 Cloves Garlic – Minced OR (2) Tbsp Minced Garlic
2 Large Carrots – Chopped
2 Tbsp Cilantro – Chopped
2 Chicken Boullioun Cubes
1 Quart of Water
(1) tsp to (1) Tbsp of Cayenne Pepper
(1) Can of Red Enchilada Sauce (We DID not have this on hand, so ours does not have the red coloring to it… also a great way to reduce the kick of you’d like this to be a kid friendly stew)

Directions

1) Dump all ingredients into the crockpot

2) Cook on high for 5 hours….

3) Either eat OR let cool down to room temp and store in the fridge until ready to be reheated and enjoyed.

Note: This slow cooker thing, pretty awesome huh? And I love how the chicken thighs just shred on their own in the crockpot once they’re fully cooked.