Pozole Rojo {Pork & Hominy Stew}

This Pozole Rojo or Pork & Hominy Stew comes together so, so fast. Erm, maybe I should premise that statement with you just need to do a little prep before a so, so fast meal is reality. All you need to do is plan a puttering afternoon in the kitchen, making this Smokey Chili Sauce then you can have about 4 or 5 cups of the sauce to use in soups, Mexican dishes, chiles, stews - like this one - and so much more. If you don't want to putter, a jarred mole sauce would work, too. I didn't have time to snap many pictures of the process making Pozole Rojo, but you hopefully won't mind my lack of instructional photos because basically after making the chili sauce all you do is dump stuff into a soup pot, simmer, make rice in a different pot, plate it up and eat. OK, tiny fib. I actually didn't have any patience time to snap photos because I was trying to prepare and photograph two meals at once, while simultaneously entertaining two children, haphazardly preparing for a girlfriend to come over by attempting to pretend I'm super organized with a tidy, clean home that has uncluttered counter tops (read: hiding it in the laundry room), get supper bubbling on the stove, and involve my children in brain building crafts while they snack on raw broccoli. Which is all so laughable because I usually feel like I'm barely just succeeding at the usual housekeeping, craft supplication, play date planning, accurately calculating and measuring the vegetable to carb ratio of my children's diet - you know those things parents stress out upon. I wasn't going to stress and even attempt to serve Pozole Rojo to children, if I even let them whiff it there would have been utter chaos. A complete revolt. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't enjoy spicy foods. So I decided to indulge my children's carb cravings and try out a new recipe from Smitten Kitchen's cookbook for a child-friendly alternative to spicy stew. A French Toast Strata, which didn't turn out excellently, but I'll keep trying to tweak and make it my own. As I usually do. 

 

Have you ever tried hominy? It's corn that has been transformed into chewy corn. That's the best way for me to describe it. And it's an excellent texture in stew. 

Top your stew with advacodo, lime wedges, fresh cilantro. And don't forget a side of rice or tortillas to sop up the luscious stew-ey juice. And a margarita.

 
I find so much joy puttering in the kitchen. How do you putter in the kitchen?

Printable Recipe Here

Pozole Rojo {Pork & Hominy Stew}
Recipe Adapted from lemonythyme.com

1 1/2 cups smokey chili sauce or 1 cup jarred mole sauce
4 cups chicken or beef stock
1/2 cup water
4 cups cooked pork, cubed
29 ounce can white hominy, rinsed
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup kettle, heat chili sauce, stock and water over medium-high heat. Add pork, hominy, beans, and seasonings. Cover, bring up to a gentle simmer, and let it bubble for about 30 minutes. You may want to uncover if the bubbling becomes violent. Serve stew with lime slices, avocado, cilantro and a pile of rice. Leftovers are dreamy.