POZOLE ROJO

POZOLE ROJO

yields 6 HUNGRY PEOPLE, NO PROBLEM

ingredients

  • 5 large dried chiles
  • 2 cup warm water
  • 1 large onion
  • 5 clove garlic
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 8 ounces tempeh
  • 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 can (29 ounces) hominy
  • 1 TBL dried oregano
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 5 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
  • 2 tsp lime juice

Toppings

  • Sliced cabbage
  • sliced green onions
  • radishes cut into matchsticks
  • cilantro
  • avocado
  • lime wedges

instructions

1 Grab a big pot or griddle and toast the dried chiles on both sides until they get a little bendy and soft, about 2 minutes. Don’t let these ers burn. Stay focused. When they are all good, throw them in a bowl with the warm water and let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

2 While that’s going down, chop up the onion, garlic, and zucchini. When the chiles are nice and rehydrated take them out of the water but hold on to the water. Cut off the chile tops, remove the seeds, and chop them all up. Throw them in a blender or food processor with the water they were soaked in, the garlic, and cocoa powder, and run it until the chile-garlic paste looks all mashed up with no big chunks left.

3 Heat up the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté that for 2 minutes. Grab the tempeh and crumble that er right into the pot in dime- and nickel- size chunks and sauté until both the onion and tempeh start to brown, about 3 more minutes. Add soy sauce for a little flavor. Next, add the zucchini, hominy, oregano, cumin, and salt. Stir that all together and then add the chile-garlic paste you made earlier. Toss that all around so that everything is well coated and then add the broth. Cover and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to get all the flavors to combine. Next add the maple syrup and lime juice. Taste that er and adjust the spices to the way you want it.

4 Serve hot with your favorite toppings.

modifications

Guajillo, ancho, whateverthe kind of big chiles you can find hanging at the end of the spice aisle. Yeah, the same you use to make brownies. Hominy is made by soaking maize kernels in a lime mixture to soften their hulls, causing them to swell up. It is awesome. You can buy hominy already cooked in cans near the beans and salsa at the store, or you can find it dried and cook it yourself like the package says.