Posole With Eye Of The Goat Beans & Shredded Chicken

So I promised you all I would share that posole recipe from last week. It turned out to be quite timely because I made a decent sized pot of it, we had it for 2 nights, went home for the funeral where I found out my dad had caught strep throat from my niece before she went on antibiotics the previous weekend so although I thought we were in the clear we were not and yes I do have strep throat thank you very much and this leftover posole has been my own personal godsend.

Whew! How’s that for a run-on sentence?

Anyway, as you have probably figured out by now, I love Mexican and Southwestern soups, stews and chilis with beans and corn of all varieties, and this was another success. As far as I know the only dishes of this variety that I do not care for are those with any kind of greens as a central ingredient. Greens are a foodie failing of mine–try as I might they just taste bitter and nasty to me. If you have a recipe that will change my mind please share!

But back to the soups, which I especially love when I am sick. All of that spicy, brothy, limey goodness is just what the doctor ordered for a stuffed head and scratchy sore throat. This recipe, which comes from Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo fame’s new book, Heirloom Beans, stands out from those I have posted about before in 2 ways: first, it is a posole, which means it has hominy in it as opposed to fresh corn. Second, and this was my addition, I tried adding that wonderful Sweet Tomato Relish into it that I made last week for Taste & Create, and the effect blew my mind.

As far as I know–but I am no posole expert–garnishes really make the posole. I used minced red onion, lime wedges, diced avocado, the tomato relish, cilantro and, when I was not sick, diced Monterey Jack cheese. The cheese and the relish were all me–the rest are traditional I believe, and at least called for by the recipe.

Posole With Eye Of The Goat Beans & Shredded Chicken
Adapted from Heirloom Beans, Steve Sando

For the hominy:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup dried hominy
water

For the soup:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 dried Anaheim cile peppers (New Mexico is fine too)
boiling water to cover the chile peppers
2 T olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t Mexican oregano
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 15 oz can tomatoes, chopped or whole, drained (or if it is summer use 4 plum tomatoes)
2 cups drained, cooked Eye of the Goat beans (or any pinto type)
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
salt and pepper to taste

For the garnishes:
chopped cilantro
fried or soft corn tortillas, to taste (we like the crunch of the fried)
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, sliced into wedges
diced monterey jack or crumbled quesco fresco
sweet tomato relish or maybe some honey and chile pepper flakes
finely chopped onion

Cook the hominy by combining the chopped onion, dried hominy and water to cover by 2 inches in a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer on medium low heat and cover, reducing the heat. Simmer for 3 hours, adding water if necessary to keep covered, or until the hominy is chewy tender. Season with salt toward the end of cooking. Set aside undrained.

Slit the dried chiles and remove the stems and seeds. Flatten them and toast them in a skillet over medium high heat, about 15 seconds per side. They will blister and lighten in color and become aromatic–but be sure they do not burn. place in a small bowl and cover with boiling water for 20-30 minutes.

Place the chiles into a blender with enough of their soaking water to puree to liquid the consistency of buttermilk.

Chop the onion for the soup. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat it to shimmering. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and cook an additional minute, stirring. Add the chicken stock, chile puree, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the cooked hominy with 1 cup of its cooking broth to the soup. Return to a boil. Add the beans and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a squirt of lime if you think it needs it.

Ladle the soup into deep bowls and add the garnishes.