Quick and Easy Rojo Pozole

This recipe came about because of a leftover boneless pork loin I had cooked in the crock pot for pork BBQ sandwiches. If you don't have cooked pork, you can use chicken or beef (cooked), but the pork really made this dish very tasty.

2-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 large garlic cloves, pressed (or finely minced)
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp flour
1-2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
6 oz tomato paste
2 cups water
4 cups homemade chicken stock (or low sodium broth)
4 cups cooked boneless pork (see note above)
3 can golden hominy, drained
2 4-oz cans green chilies
Juice of one lime

Toppings
lime wedges
cilantro
avocado, chopped
sour cream
cheese
corn tortillas

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic cloves and poblano pepper. Cook until soft. Add flour and additional olive oil to make a thick paste. Add seasoning (salt, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper). Continue stirring mixture until brown (may burn slightly, but don't worry). Add tomato paste and combine well. Add water and scrape up bits on the bottom of the pan. Mixture should thicken and make a very red "gravy" that looks a lot like a dark enchilada sauce. Adjust seasoning (make it spicy or add more salt at this point).

Add chicken stock, pork, hominy and green chilies. Stir well and bring to boil. Turn down heat and simmer. Add juice of one lime and continue simmering. Stir periodically so it doesn't burn. You can serve it at any time, but you can also let it simmer for up to a half hour or more. It will thicken up as you simmer it. If you want it thinner, add more stock or water.

Serve pozole  in a large bowl with desired toppings, but make sure you add more lime juice and cilantro to give it a fresh flavor. You can also top with shredded cabbage or lettuce, fresh radishes for additional "crunch."

This is not authentic, but it tastes wonderful. Serve with additional hot sauce. I recommend you also serve this with cheese quesadillas as pictured below

Yum!

Makes 6-8 large servings.