Typical posole doesn’t include potatoes, but I had this version made by of my friends in California and it was such a show stopper I had to steal her recipe. Originally from Mexico City, Marucha knows Posole doesn’t call for potatoes, but her family has made it this way for generations. The chicken, potatoes and hominy here are a triumvirate dream.
1 ½ medium onions
4 garlic cloves – rough chopped
½ TSP of anise seeds
1 TSP cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP Mexican oregano
4-5 boneless chicken breasts – skins removed
1 large potato – peeled and medium cubed
1 25 oz can of Mexican style hominy – drained
GREEN SLURRY
2 Poblano peppers – roasted
½ bunch of cilantro with the stems
2 tomatillos – roasted
½ raw onion – skins removed
1 TSP sugar
3 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of pumpkin seeds
Juice of a lime
Zest of the lime
1 TSP toasted anise seeds
1 TSP toasted cumin seeds
2 leaves from romaine lettuce – washed and rough chopped
1 TSP salt fresh cracked pepper
Pinch of chili flakes
1 cup of the cooking liquid from the chicken breasts
In a large Dutch oven heat up some olive oil and add half a chopped onion and sweat for a few miutes with a pinch of salt. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 TSP of cumin seeds, ½ TSP anise seeds and 1 TSP Mexican oregano. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add about 9 -10 cups of water, the chicken breasts and bay leaves. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken, cool and shred. Set aside.
In a blender, add the slurry ingredients and blend leaving it a bit chunky and include into the pot along with the potato and the hominy. Cook till potatoes are tender. Add the shredded chicken and warm through.
Serve in separate bowls accompanied by these classic garnishes:
- Finely shredded cabbage
- Sliced radishes
- Onion and cilantro mix – chop an some onion and mix with chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Ripe avocado – in small cubes
Typically, the way to eat posole is squeezing lime on top of the soup, pile shredded cabbage, add thin sliced radish, the cilantro-onion mix for crunch, chopped avocado for creaminess and have some warm flour tortillas to dunk into the broth.
