I have been on a comfort kick lately. Maybe it’s because I am about to say goodbye to my first graders this coming week- I am having all sorts of feels about it. Although no one could have imagined our year in class would be cut short, I have still been in contact with them and doing my best to give them a sense of normalcy in such a scary time for a 6 year old.

Nothing says comfort more than a warm hug from a bowl of soup. When I am feeling blue, a nice big bowl of Pozole does just the trick. It has a subtle kick of heat from the chili de arbol, but it is so worth it! The slight spice is what keeps your spoon going back for more. Traditionally Pozole Rojo is made with pork butt but I like to use thick cut pork chops combined with bone in pork steaks. Not only does this cut the cooking time, but it still creates a deep flavor from the bones in the steaks. It’s a win/win!

Although Pozole on its own is scrumptious, this soup is all about the toppings. The toppings are what turn this great bowl of soup into an irresistible bite. I love playing with the toppings, but traditionally there is shredded cabbage, cilantro, sliced radishes, diced onion and jalapeno, and lots of lime. I probably put more lime than necessary, but I love how the acidity perfectly cuts the richness.

Feel free to get creative with your toppings too! Some great ideas are: avocados, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, queso fresco, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), crispy tortilla strips, and the list goes on an on!

Happy eating!

Ingredients

For the Pork:

1 1/2 lbs thick cut pork chops, cut into small cubes

1 lb bone in pork but steak with bone

1/2 tbs cumin

1/2 tbs Mexican oregano

1/2 tbs salt

1 tbs olive oil

For the broth:

6 c low sodium chicken stock

1 onion peeled and halved (leave root intact to help take it out later)

1/2 tbs cumin

1/2 tbs Mexican oregano

8 peeled and smashed garlic cloves

2 bay leaves 1 tsp

salt, more to taste

1 30oz can hominy

For the Red Sauce:

4 cups water

3 dried Guajillo chilis, de-seeded

5 dried Ancho chilis, de-seeded

2 dried Chili de Arbol, de-seeded

4 garlic cloves

1/2 onion

1/2 tbs cumin

1/2 tbs Mexican oregano

1 tsp salt

For the Garnish:

shredded cabbage

sliced radish

diced onion

diced jalapeno

cilantro

limes

Instructions

Prepare the red sauce:

In a pot, boil 4 cups of water. Once boiling, turn off the heat. While you wait for your water to boil start your red sauce.

In a heavy bottom skillet (I use cast iron) toast the dried chilis on each side. This “wakes” them up and helps bring out their earthy flavor. Be sure not to burn them! Once they are pliable add them to the pot of hot water and help submerge them by placing a plate on top of them. Let them steep for 30 minutes.

Add the chilis, 2 1/2 cups of their soaking liquid, garlic, onion, cumin, Mexican oregano, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. Run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess pulp. Set aside your strained red sauce.

Prepare the Pork Broth:

In a large bowl, toss pork with salt, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Set your pressure cooker to the saute mode, add the oil, and brown the pork in batches. Once all the meat have browned, return the pork back to the pressure cooker and add all of the broth ingredients except for the hominy. This will be added at the end to ensure it does not disintegrate.

Pressure cook the soup for 30 minutes using your manual key. When finished, let the pressure cooker release naturally (this means do not turn the knob at the top to manually release the pressure-just let it do its thing for about 15 minutes and drink a glass of wine 🙂 ). Once it has naturally released its pressure, remove the top and take out the halved onion. Remove the pork steaks, shred, and remove the bones. After, set the pressure cooker to the saute mode.

Add the red sauce and hominy and saute for another 15-20 minutes.

Adjust the salt level to your taste.

Ladle yourself a bowl and top with garnishes.