Pumpkin Posole!?

There is this cafe restaurant on the plaza in Santa Fe called the Plaza Cafe. Every year around mid November - (except for this year because they had a fire in their kitchen and are still working on re-opening.) They make a Posole that is flavored with pumpkin.  A friend of mine would not stop talking about it.  Finally I went to the restaurant a few years back and tried it.  I didn't rave about it...but I liked the uniqueness enough to go home and work on a version of the stew that I would enjoy more.  So I was thankful for my persistent friend and Plaza Cafe for the idea of putting pumpkin and posole together.  Each time I have told a local New Mexican to try my pumpkin posole, either I get face contortions or looks of dismay or just, "pumpkin posole...eeeeeww."  I love when they try it...it's always the same pleasing surprised look that they get on their faces.  I was apprehensive too when I first heard of pumpkin posole.  So I went home and experimented and researched on the Internet to see what other's had done with posole recipes involving pumpkin...it wasn't like Plaza Cafe was a pioneer in doing this.  But it was where I was able to sample it and how I arrived at my recipe.  I am using pork for the recipe but I have also used chicken.  Vegetarians can eliminate the meat all together and find other ways of creating the flavors normally brought out by the slow cooking of the meat being used.

Pumpkin Posole

1 two lb bag of frozen uncooked hominy

4 good sized pork chops with bone attached

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 stalk of celery chopped

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried mexican oregano semi crushed in between your palms

1 tsp ground coriander seed

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

2 dried chipotle chili pods

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups of plain canned pumpkin puree or fresh

4 qts of beef, pork, chicken or vegetable broth

In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil and season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper and brown them well in the hot oil.  Add the chopped vegetables to the pot and saute till soft.  Add the spices and saute for two minutes

Pour in the broth, the pumpkin puree and the frozen hominy

 Add the intact chipotle pods and the bay leaves

  Cook over medium heat with the lid on, but slightly off on one side

This will take about 6 hours for the hominy to plump up and soften

At the point where the meat is falling away from the bones (about 4 hours), remove the chops to a cutting board and separate bones from meat. Cut up into bite sized chunks and add back to the pot

  I take the bones and wrap them up in cheese cloth tied off on the ends then I add them back to the stew...there is soooo much flavor in bone marrow

You will need to add water as the hominy plumps 

Make sure that your broth consistency doesn't get to thick.

Begin to taste your Posole for flavor adding more salt or pepper to taste  

When the posole is done, the hominy will be soft but the kernels will be holding their shape

  if you have squishy hominy that is falling apart, you have over cooked it. 

To save a lot of hours, you can used canned hominy, but you have to watch that it does not get too soft since it is pre cooked.

I do this recipe more often in a crock pot.  I just transfer the sauteed vegetables and pork chops to the bottom of the crock pot and pour in the broth and follow the rest of the recipe the same way.  On low, this takes about 6 to 7 hours covered

You will still need to add water to keep broth from getting too thick.

Discard chipotle pods, bones and bay leaves and serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and your favorite red chili. 

I serve this with warmed corn tortilla's and butter...just the way I would eat menudo growing up. 

I make a double batch sometimes, and freeze in two person portions. 

ole!

robert