Pozole

(po-só-lay)

This is a great dish and I really want you to try it. That is unless you're a vegetarian — because this is definitely a meat eaters meal. I've been struggling with how to write out this recipe because this is truly a dish where amounts don't matter. I've eaten pozole all over the country and no two have been the same........ and I've never had bad pozole. This dish is almost impossible to screw up. Instead of giving you a detailed recipe I'm just gonna tell you how I make it.

PARTS LIST

meat
I use short ribs of beef, breast of chicken (we use chicken breast at the restaurant because we charge a lot of money for the dish but when I make it at home I use drumsticks and thighs), beef shanks, boneless pork shoulder and loin. To my way of thinking, short ribs and shanks are the two tastiest cuts of beef and make the richest broth. I cut the rack of ribs into individual ribs. I trim the skin and ribs off the chicken breasts (save them for the stock) and cut the breasts in half. The beef shanks are about 1/2 inch thick and I trim the meat off of them, saving the bones for the stock. I cut the pork shoulder into golf ball sized pieces. If I am making it at home I don't even use pork loin — but it sounds high tone on the menu.

hominy
Just use the canned hominy. Dealing with the dried hominy just doubles the work and the time and doesn't really improve the dish. I've eaten pozole a jillion times and usually can't tell if the hominy is fresh or canned.

guajillo chiles
This is a large dried red chile that we are using only for color. We don't want any heat from this chile since we are going to be serving chopped, hot, fresh chiles as a garnish. If you can't fing guajillos you can use anchos or pasillas....or you could leave them out entirely. But I highly recommend that you use them because they make the dish really pretty.

Let's do it!

If you didn't do anything but put all the meat in the pot and boil it for 5 or 6 hours — adding more water as the water boils away — you will wind up with a pretty damn good pozole. However if you do it my way you're gonna have something really special. You'll need two big pots and not much else. In one pot start the short ribs browning. Don't be timid — use a pretty high flame. You want to brown them really well on all sides, just short of burning them and you want lots of brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pot. When the ribs are good and browned put them into the other big pot. Brown the meat from the shanks and the pork and put them in the pot with the ribs. . If you're using chicken legs or thighs go ahead and brown them too. Put the shank bones in the rendered fat and brown them well on both sides....real well, making sure you get all the marrow out of the bones and into the mix. Cover all the meat in the other pot with cold water and bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. When the bones in the first pot are good and brown you can add a chopped onion, some chopped celery and even a carrot or two.......brown all the veggies just slightly. When the bones and veggies are browned nicely add a bunch of water and scrape up all the good brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add any chicken skin or ribs you trimmed from the breasts — if you're using breasts. You can toss in the onion skin and the celery leaves if you want....I do. Bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. Go have a beer or do some gardening or something. We're gonna let both pots simmer for about an hour and a half. Your only job during this time is to skim the fat and foam and little bits of junk that seem to keep appearing and to replace any water that boils away. One way to judge a pozole is by how clear the broth is...so skim, skim, skim!

dealing with the chiles
If you're making a whole lot of pozole (enough for 12 or 15 people or so) you'll want to use about 5 or 6 chiles. For a smaller batch a couple will do. Cut the chiles open with a sharp knife or some scissors and scrape out all the seeds and veins and any pithy stuff — all we want are the dried skins. Cut or tear the chiles into small pieces and cover them with water and simmer them for about 20 minutes. Let them cool. When they have cooled run them — with the water through the blender and dump the whole mess into the pot with the meat. This will give your broth that nice red color.

finishing it up
When the pot with the meat has simmered for about an hour and a half — check the meat for tender. If it's real tender , turn the heat off. If not, keep simmering for another half hour — then check again. The next step is to strain or filter the stock into the pot with the meat. You can do that any time after an hour and a half or so, but the longer the stock simmers — the better it's gonna be. Okay, turn the heat back on and add the chicken. Bring it to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is real tender. As the chicken cooks some foamy junk may form on the surface — so skim. Hey, you just made pozole. Except for the SALT, (YOU HAVE TO ADD SOME SALT. So taste it and add salt to taste.) and the hominy. Open the can of hominy and dump the liquid and rinse the hominy. Put it in a pot with some water and bring it to a boil — simmer it for a few minutes and we're ready to serve. We cook the hominy apart for a couple of reasons. One, if you over cook the hominy it will get mushy and that's not the texture we want. Two, the left over pozole will last about for ever in the fridge and each time you reheat it it will be better. Unless, that is, you have all the hominy already added. It will deteriorate and get all cloudy and we don't want that.....now, do we??

serving it up
As you're ready to serve, the pozole should be very, very hot — so should the hominy. This is because we're gonna be adding a whole bunch of room temperature garnishes at the table....and this will cool the pozole down considerably. Serve it in a deep bowl. Put about an ice cream scoop of the hominy in the bottom of the bowl. Add a short rib or two, a couple of pieces of the pork and a piece of chicken.....and some of that rich red broth(almost enough to cover everything...I like to see the chunks of chicken and meat sticking up through the broth). If you didn't do anything else, your guests would probably say it was the best soup/stew they ever tasted — but you're gonna do something else. With each bowl you serve a plate of garnishes and let the eater finish the pozole right at the table. Every part of Mexico serves a different garnish and the folks from these areas say that theirs is the only real 'pozole.' In Baja California the garnish almost always includes thinly sliced radishes, lime sections, dried oregano (whole, not ground), chopped onions, chopped serrano chiles, chopped cilantro and shredded cabbage. In Guerrero they add some chopped avocado and in Michoacan they toss in some toasted pumpkin seeds. At Felix' we add some strips of red and green bell pepper and zucchini that we have sauteed briefly. Also I like to use shredded Iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage, and we include some grated Monterey Jack cheese. I like to break up some tortilla chips in mine too. Tell your guests to watch out for the grated chiles and some of them may not like cilantro — but tell them to squeeze some lime in it and then just go ahead and pile everything else on......sorta like an ice cream sundae. The radishes and pumpkin seeds give it some crunch, the avocado and cheese add some creaminess, the lettuce serves to thicken the broth and adds an almost fennely taste, the lime juice adds some tang, the chiles and onions give it some bite, the cilantro gives it ...well a cilantro taste and the broken tortilla chips and the peppers and squash give it some body. Let me know how it turns out.

Chiles en Nogada

(stuffed chiles with walnut sauce)

This is a world class dish and I think it rates a place right up there with any of the classic dishes from anywhere in the world. Here's how I describe it on the menu at Felix'.......

" I think that this dish ranks with any of the great dishes of the world. It is both beautiful to look at and to taste. A true classic, this is an absolutely wonderful dish from the city of Puebla where it is traditionally served on St. Augustine's day (August 28). It is also a popular dish throughout the country on September 15, Independence day -- since the colors of the dish are those of the Mexican flag, red, white and green. Poblano chiles stuffed with minced pork, raisins, dried fruit, tomato, onion, herbs and spices. It is served with a delicious white walnut sauce and usually garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds. This is a complicated dish to make with many layers of flavor and is rarely found in restaurants."

When you read the recipe it will sound a bit daunting..... don't be afraid. It's really quite simple to make.... uh, well after the first time anyway. I avoided making this dish for a long time because all the recipes were evidently written by some jerk celebrity chef or another and they made it sound so damn complicated I just didn't want to get involved. They called for processors and ricers and dicers and 3 beam balance gram scales and organically grown cinnamon flown in from Sumatra and mortars and pestles..... and - as usual - it was all bullshit! Hell I haven't even owned a triple beam balance gram scale since the 60's and I wasn't even a cook then. The measurements I give are not exact and that's intentional. It doesn't matter. We're not talkin' rocket science or neuro-surgery here, we're talkin' cooking. It calls for Poblano chiles but it is definitely not a spicy hot dish since Poblanos are mild to begin with and we will be removing the seeds and veins. This recipe should serve 4 people - 2 chiles apiece.

PARTS LIST

8 Poblano Chiles
Roasted and peeled with the stems left on. If you don't know how to roast chile.... It's easy. Hold the chile by the stem over an open flame, until it is black. The skin will sizzle and pop, and when you are done burning it, it will look like a mess. Wrap the burnt chile in a dry cloth to cool. Once it is cool, the skin will come off on your fingers. You might want to wash them under cool water to remove bits of black stuff. You want to slit the chiles from the top to the tip and remove the seeds and veins.

a little Butter
or lard or rendered fat from the pork

2 lbs Cooked Pork
I generally use shoulder but you can use most anything from left over pork chops to loin - as a matter of fact the cheapest cuts are probably the most flavorful. I simmer the pork for at least an hour - it should be falling apart.

1 small onion
chopped pretty fine

6 cloves of garlic
or 3 or 9... Hey, you know how much garlic you like - chopped fine

10 (or so) whole cloves
Don't use ground cloves - it's just not the same. Smash the cloves with the side of a knife or the bowl of a spoon or something. You might want to toss the pointy ends of the cloves because they will never soften up and will be like little pieces of toothpicks in your chiles.

8(or so) whole pepper corns
coarsely crushed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

raisins
You don't want to get a raisin in every bite - so go easy - maybe about 40 should do it.

slivered almonds
a couple of tablespoons should do

assorted dried fruit
Don't use candied fruit - too sweet. Chop the fruit into raisin sized pieces. I use whatever is available when I'm in the market place. Apricots, peaches, apples, pineapple, banana whatever you can find - mix it up. You'll want about 4 heaping tablespoons.

tomatoes
The quality of tomatoes in the market these days is so lousy that for the first time in my life I'm recommending canned tomatoes. Put about six through the blender and save the liquid from the can - we're gonna need it later.

pomegranate seeds
If you can't find fresh pomegranates - don't even bother making this dish. They are really important. Oh, the dish will taste all right but it just won't be the same.

OKAY, LET'S GO!

The secret to this one is preparation - like most everything else in the world. If you have all your ingredients ready at hand it gets real simple.

the filling

Chop the cooked pork really, really fine. Start it in a frying pan with the butter (or lard) over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and brown the whole mixture stirring occasionally. Add the blended tomatoes and every thing else except the pomegranate seeds. (The reason I like using crushed black pepper and crushed cloves instead of the finely ground powder is twofold. One - when you crush them yourself the flavor is much stronger. The powdered loses its taste rapidly on the shelf - in your home or in the store. The second reason is that if you use the powdered every bite tastes of clove and with the crushed you get a bite of clove every once in a while. And you get a bite of raisin - once in a while and a bite of almond and a bite of black pepper and a bite of dried peach or apple or pineapple. Every bite of this dish you should get a new taste. My son describes it as "Tasting like Christmas" every bite is like opening a new present. Anyway add some of the liquid from the tomatoes and simmer it for a half hour or so to let the raisins and dried fruit plump up and for the cloves and peppercorns to soften. Let it cool. As a matter of fact everything so far can be done way in advance - even the day before.

THE SAUCE

The sauce is a thick rich white sauce with a walnut base. In Spanish walnuts are 'nogales' - hence the name 'Chiles en Nogada'. The sauce is served at a warm room temperature. Don't try to heat the sauce - it will thin way out and (since there's a lot of sour cream in it) may even separate.

PARTS LIST

20 - 25 walnuts
broken up in pretty small pieces - your gonna soak them in milk so if they're in big chunks it will take too much milk to cover them. milk or cream - if you want it even richer than itÕs gonna be - enough to cover the walnuts

white bread 1 or 2 slices
crusts removed

1/4 lb cream cheese

1-1/2 cups sour cream

salt to taste

cinnamon to taste
depending on how stale the cinnamon is somewhere around a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.

Okay, let's make the recipe

All the recipes I found told me to soak the walnuts in the milk for at least 24 hours. I did - for a while - but I don't any more. I can't taste any difference at all. I just throw the walnuts and milk into the blender and start it up. Add the white bread and the sour cream and keep blending... it should be pretty runny. Start throwing in little pieces of cream cheese with the blender going on a low speed, until the sauce has thickened up to the consistency of barely pourable mayonnaise. Toss in about 1/2 the cinnamon and taste it. It should taste of cinnamon, but just barely, if it needs more - throw it in... If you want to add salt now is the time to do it. The sauce is done and you're almost a gourmet Mexican chef.

putting it all together

The dish is all done - we just have to assemble it and heat it up. At the restaurant we put it together hot. Hot chiles and hot filling and we burn our fingers and swear a lot. You don't have to do this. You can use the filling and chiles direct from the fridge. Just take a spoon and put the mixture into the chiles - fill them pretty good and pat them and caress them until they look real pretty. Heat them up in a lidded pan with a little water or hell, you could even do them in a microwave. Arrange two chiles on a plate and put some sauce over them. I like to put the sauce over the middle of the chiles leaving a little bit of the stem end and the pointy end showing. If you completely cover the chiles it will still taste great but it will look like a pile of mashed potatoes in that yucky country gravy your mom use to make out of canned cream of mushroom soup - so let the beautiful green chiles show. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over the top..... brother, or sister - as the case may be - you have just made an incredible dish.

Salsa Verde #2

This is a combination of a cooked and a fresh salsa. It's one I always eat with Carnitas and it's one of the ones that I like to make real hot.

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos
Remove the husks and rinse them and cut them into quarters. Now, some of self-proclaimed geniuses will tell you to use only the most yellow of the tomatillos - others say only use the brightest green ones - pay them no mind. It makes no difference! I use the hardest, brightest green to purple ones because I like the lemony tartness. Others like a mellower sauce and use the yellowish ones. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 medium onion
Peel and chopped pretty fine. Once again some of these foodies will insist you use no more than 1 teaspoon of finally chopped Maui onion - pay them no mind. You can use less onion or more onion or red, yellow, white or purple onions for all I care.

2 cloves of garlic
Or 1.... or 17.... or none, chopped - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh chiles
I like to use Jalapeno chiles because I like the taste..... but the damn Jalapenos have been running really mild. So you might want to substitute Serranos. I'd use 3 or 4 Jalapenos for a medium Salsa..... I use a lot more but I like this particular salsa real hot. Take the stems off the Chiles and chop them pretty fine. If your hands are especially tender you might want to wear rubber kitchen gloves for this step.

cilantro
Once again you're on your own. I don't know if you like cilantro or not. I like it a lot and use about a half a bunch. If you realy hate cilantro chop some green onions or parsley - the fresh herbs look real pretty and add a nice fresh taste.

Let's do it!!!

This one is so easy I'm almost embarrassed when someone compliments me on the 'Great Salsa'. Put the tomatillos in a pan and cover them with water..... no you do not have to use fresh mountain spring water hand carried in an antique oaken bucket from a secret spring high up in Wolf Creek Pass..... tap water will do. Simmer the tomatillos 'til they turn olive drab in color and are all mushy. Let them cool. Put them through the blender. Dump them into a bowl and add the chopped onion, the chiles and maybe a little bit of salt. You're done!! Except for the cilantro or green onions. I only add the cilantro to as much of the salsa as I plan on using right away. This salsa will hold for at least a few days - maybe a week - in the fridge. It's best to add the cilantro each time you use the salsa because cilantro tends to get ugly and lose it's flavor in the fridge.

Smoky Jalapeño Salsa

This one is way too easy. Just take some of the Charred Tomatillo & Jalapeno Salsa and add sour cream, mixing until you have the color green that you like. When you add the sour cream it's gonna reduce the chile bite a lot, so if you like it hot use more chiles when you make the salsa. This is great on tacos and Quesadillas and a as a dip or on almost anything you would put sour cream on. You could use mayonnaise instead of sour cream and tell all your yuppie friends that you have some home-made 'Charred Jalapeno Mayonnaise' for them to enjoy on their chicken sandwiches. This salsa is great as a sauce for pasta or pasta with shrimp, but it will separate if you get it too hot. So use it at room temperature and stir it into the hot pasta. Remember if you have any questions about salsas or Mexican food in general or just want some info about Cabo - drop me an e-line. I know I shouldn't be delving into politics here - but I just can't help it, what with this Enron deal and all. One question: Does it seem to any of you that the whole kit and kaboodle of the executive branch is indictable under the RICO statutes??

Charred Tomatillo & Jalapeño Salsa

This is a pretty common salsa in homes all over Mexico, but you don't often see it in tourist oriented restaurants. We always have it available at Felix' and even use it in a couple of our menu items. It's a great salsa for summertime grilling 'cause it goes really well with grilled Chicken or Carnitas (see the Carnitas recipe on the Felix' web site - click on recipes then on Carnitas). It also makes a great dip for chips and we use it as the base for our Smoky Jalapeno Salsa. Okay, here we go.

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos rinsed with the husks removed.
If you pay any attention at all to the food gurus you will become hopelessly confused. Some will tell you to use only the most yellow of the Tomatillos others say use only the greenest. It really doesn't make much difference - if any. I use the darkest, greenest ones I can find because I think it gives a more lemony taste to the salsa. However, when I can't find the dark green ones I use the yellow ones and to be honest I can't taste the difference. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 onion
peeled and quartered.

2 cloves of garlic
or 1 or 17 or none - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh jalapeño chiles
rinsed with the stems removed. How many chiles is a matter for you to decide. The jalapeno chiles we've been seeing in the markets just aren't very hot - although every once in a while you get a real surprise - so I'd suggest you use at least 4, more if you want it real spicy.

cilantro
chopped

You may have noticed that this is the exact same ingredient list that I used for the 'Salsa Verde' in the last Newsletter. If not - pay better attention. Anyway this salsa, even though the ingredients are the same, tastes and looks a whole lot different. Now we're gonna do some of what the Yuppie Food Experts refer to as 'pan roasting' - I call it 'burning'. This is so popular here in Mexico that we actually have a tool for the purpose. It's a flat pan with a slotted rack that sits over a gas burner, but I've never seen them for sale in the States and I don't even know what you call it. So the best thing for you to use is a cast iron frying pan or griddle. Don't use your good Teflon, and your stainless-steel - if you use it - won't be stainless anymore. The pan should be big enough so all the stuff is just one layer thick. Put everything into the pan over medium heat and go have a beer or a cup of ovaltine or write a letter to your mom or something. Check it in about ten minutes or so..... if everything is good and blackened and sticking to the pan and it doesn't even look like food, then turn them onto an un-blackened side and do it again. When the mixture is thoroughly disgusting looking pour a glass of water into the pan and deglaze the pan (that's fancy celebrity chef talk for 'use some water to scrape up all the burnt bits'). Get all the burnt stuff loose and turn the gas off and let it cool. When it's cooled down run it through a blender. It's probably gonna be way too thick so you'll most likely have to add some water to get it to the consistency you like. Oh, the Jalapenos have a tendency to emit a tear gas like substance as they burn so if you have a stove fan turn it on..... or at least open a window. Be careful not to put the stuff in the blender while it's real hot because hot stuff and blenders are a dangerous combo. Just before you get ready to serve this delightful home-made Salsa Asada Verde throw in some chopped cilantro..... if you hate cilantro through in some chopped green onions. There -- you've made another salsa.

Ranchero Salsa

This is a great salsa and I probably should have put it in the very first newsletter. It is served in every part of Mexico in a vast array of dishes. The one that you are probably most familiar with is Huevos Rancheros but there are countless other Mexican dishes that you can make with this simple, yet oh so tasty and authentic salsa. I'm gonna give you a recipe for a small batch so in the unlikely case you really hate it ..... you won't have wasted a whole lot of time or money.

PARTS LIST

One poblano chile
Stemmed and seeded and cut into thin strips about an inch long
One onion
Medium size - white or yellow - halved and sliced thinly
Four tomatoes
The same size as the onion chopped into pieces about the size of a marble
Two (or so) cloves of garlic
Chopped
Some cilantro
Chopped

This is a really simple salsa to make and almost impossible to screw up. Start the chile sauteeing over medium heat in a little oil. Don't use any tasty expensive oil - use a cheap neutral oil. (we want the taste of the salsa , not the taste of the oil.) Corn or safflower works great. You don't want to brown the chiles just to soften them. We don't want crunchy chiles. This is a very mild version of Ranchero Salsa - even the kids and Aunt Agnes can eat it. If you like a spicier salsa add some chopped Jalapeno or serrano chiles too. When the chiles are about half done add the onions and saute a little more. Once again you don't want to brown the onions. When the onions have turned translucent, add the garlic and the tomatoes. Use the brightes red tomatoes you can find. If the tomatoes in the market are really junky (as usual) use the smaller plum tomatoes but use more of them. Cover it all with water and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or so, and you have just made an authentic Ranchero Salsa. Taste it and add some salt. Right before you are ready to use it throw in some chopped cilantro. If you're one of those who hate the taste of cilantro throw in some chopped green onions - the color is really important. This is great for Huevos Rancheros, Bistek Ranchero, wonderful as an enchilada sauce and great to add into a pot of beans.

Salsa Veracruzana

This salsa, as the name implies, hails from the state of Veracruz on the east coast of Mexico. However, it is served in just about every corner of the country in just about every restaurant that serves fish. Most famous with Huachinango (Red Snapper) it goes great with almost any fish cooked almost any way. I've had it over a whole fish wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over charcoal. On filets wrapped in aluminum foil and done on the BBQ. Mostly it is just served over a sauteed filet and garnished with some lime wedges and a sprig of Cilantro. Great with shrimp too.

PARTS LIST

One poblano chile
Seeded, stemmed and cut into thin strips about an inch long
One medium onion
White or yellow, halved and cut into thin slices
Four medium tomatoes
Cut into pieces about the size of a marble
Two cloves of garlic
Chopped - feel free to use more garlic in this one
Two bay leaves
Some lime (or lemon) juice
Green olives
Cilantro
Chopped

On this one we proceed just as we did with the Salsa Ranchero. Start the chile sauteeing in a little neutral oil. You can throw in the bay leaf at this time too. When the chiles have softened but not browned toss in the onion. When the onions have turned translucent throw in the garlic and tomatoes and the olives. In Mexico the olives generally still have the pits in but you gringos are spoiled and if you use olives with pits one of your guests will probably break a tooth - so you might want to use olives with the pits removed. You can either use whole olives or you can use half olives or you could even chop the little suckers all up. I don't care. You can even toss in a little of the liquid that the olives came in. Add water to cover what youÕve got in the pot. Throw in some chopped cilantro and the lime/lemon juice and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Go easy on the lime/lemon because when it is done simmering you'll taste it and add some salt to tast. You can add some more lemon/lime but you'll play hell taking it out if you added too much. The cilantro that you added will lose its color so when you serve it add some more chopped cilantro - if you hate cilantro use green onions or parsley but for heaven's sake put something fresh and green in it. Oh, a lot of recipes will call for oregano too. If you do use oregano don't use the powdered - use whole or fresh. Let me know how it turns out. Have a happy holiday season and a really, really nice new year.