Pozole

Pozole is a hearty Mexican soup. It is made with pork or beef, hominy, garlic, chili, and spices. The influence of the Spanish to Mexico brought about the cooking of soups. Mexican cooks quickly adapted to the soup style preparing stews and liquid cooked meals using ingredients which were plentiful.http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/04/tem_taste04lede.html

The base ingredient for the posole stew is a corn which is soaked in a lime solution to break the tough skin down. The soaking process causes the corn to puff up. The process used dried white corn, soaked in the lime and then the husks of the kernel removed. The prepared corn is called Nixtamal and is used in posole recipes. Modern day recipes use prepared hominy for convenience.http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Ethnic-Unique-Foods-Ingredients-645/pozole.aspx

There are many ways to make this soup, with ingredients varying by region. Virtually every version contains meat, hominy or corn, and broth. From there, Mexican versions include blanco, verde, rojo, de fijol and elopozole.

Mexican stews begin with a good stock. Pozole typically uses a pork broth make from pig head and feet but beef or chicken can be used. Pozole color varies depending on the ingredients used. The color of the corn and color of peppers determine whether the Mexican stew will be red, white or green. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/04/tem_taste04lede.html

Gourmet adaptations may substitute shrimp for the pork, or add tomatoes. For a garnish avocado, cabbage, onion, salsa, limes, cilantro, sour cream, tostada and tortilla chips may be used.