Pork and Chipotle Pozole

We are so done with winter, with the snow and sleet and rain and the bitter cold that chills you through and through. But winter doesn't seem to be done with us. Craving warmth, we made this delicious one-pot stew that heated us right up (a little too much heat, actually, but we'll get to that). It's called pozole, and, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, it's a traditional Mexican dish made with cacahuazintle corn (also known as hominy) and meat, and was originally only served on special occasions. The details about that include cannibalism so we won't go into that here so as not to ruin your appetite.

We were inspired by a variety of recipes we found online and made ours with pork. We weren't sure if we could find hominy, but we did find canned hominy in the Goya section at our usual grocery store, which, we are thrilled to say, seems to be stocking a much wider variety of products as of late. We had a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the pantry, and we used three of them to flavor the broth, and then decided next time we will only use two. Or maybe one. It was pretty spicy, so be forewarned. 

Other than that, we were delighted by the various flavors and textures in the stew, as we were with the easiness of making it. And as suspicious as that tin of Mexican oregano may look, it really is Mexican oregano and we suggest looking for it if you plan to make this spicy, zesty dish, because it really gave it an interesting flavor. 

Pork and Chipotle Pozole

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless pork sirloin chops, trimmed and cut into bite-sized cubes

1 onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-3 (to taste) canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (crushed)

2 tablespoons plus 2-3 cups water, divided

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 15-ounce can hominy, rinsed

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

juice of one lime

Suggested garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, tortilla strips, lime wedges

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions, garlic, chipotles, cumin, coriander and oregano and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir up all the browned bits from the pork, and cook until onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 of the remaining 3 cups of water, chicken broth, then whisk in the cornmeal. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Add hominy, then season with salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add the remaining 1 cup of water, depending on taste and consistency, do so here. Continue to simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Return pork to the pot and add lime juice. Cook until pork is warmed through, about 5 additional minutes. Serve in bowls and garnish each serving with cilantro, tortilla strips and a wedge of lime (also a glass of water if you used 3 of the chipotles!)

Mexican Spring Dinner (Including Recipe for Rum Baked Black Beans)

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we took a cooking class at our local community college (Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT). The class was called "Mexican Spring Dinner" and it was such a fun time! A chef, an assistant chef and five students (including us) all spent a warm spring evening cooking, sharing tips and stories, and of course, breaking bread (well, nachos) together - what's not to love?

We paired off and split up the recipes so that our many hands could make lighter work. Chris and I started the Rum Baked Black Beans - aromatics, mustard, spices and rum mixed in with black beans, topped with crumbled bacon and baked for an hour - these were delicious, and the recipe is below. Our second task was to make the Lime Tortilla Soup, a fresh and healthy medley of vegetables and chicken with a tangy hint of lime and crunchy tortilla chips. A great tip from the chef - place fresh corn on the cob (still in its husk) in the microwave for four minutes and the corn steams itself, then you can eat it or remove it from the cob, depending on your needs!

Meanwhile, another pair of students worked on the Grilled Shrimp Nachos with Orange Salsa Fresca and Guacamole. The shrimp were marinated in a garlic/lime juice mixture then grilled and placed on a nacho with a cool, citrusy, tangy salsa made from herbs, honey, oranges and jicama; these also received a small dollop of guacamole. I can't wait to try the salsa with other things!

The final student worked twice as hard as the rest of us on the Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce (Forgot to take a photo! Darn!), a sweet challah-bread concoction covered with a silky, boozy, caramel-colored topping that was a wonderful end to our convivial feast and learning experience.

Here are some photos from the class, and a recipe for that tipsy take on baked beans (yum!). Special thanks to Lisa Montag Weikert for a great class and for permission to take photos and share her recipe for Rum Baked Black Beans.

Ingredients:
8 strips bacon
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon gground giner
fresh black pepper (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 15-ounce cans black beans total - Use 3 cans black beans drained and rinsed plus 1 can black beans not rinsed or drained
1/3 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 325. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the drippings. Place saucepan containing the reserved drippings over medium heat, and cook onions and garlic in it for about five minutes. Add chicken stock, vinegar, ginger, pepper, mustard, honey, brown sugar, allspice and cinnamon. Heat to boiling while stirring. Add the beans and mix well. Remove from heat and add the rum. Transfer to a baking dish and crumble bacon over the top. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour; remove cover and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Guest Post: Joanne's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Our second guest blogger is Joanne, bestie, foodie, and fellow world traveler. Joanne teaches with Amy and is also her lunch provider extraordinaire. Thoughtful and generous, she made the delicious chili we posted pictures of yesterday. Thanks, Joanne, for sharing your recipe for this soup. It's a very close second to your chili in the list of Amy's favorite school lunches.

Joanne writes:

Most people remember their first loves and first kisses. I also remember the first time Amy, my best foodie friend, called one of my culinary creations “restaurant worthy.” Amy loves this soup—as much as she loves my chili. I’m happy to share both with her in our lunch club (I’ve had the pleasure of trying many of her and Chris’s recipes), and to share the recipe with you, A Couple in the Kitchen readers.

I first developed the recipe last February, while going through a Mexican food phase, to beat the doldrums of a cold and grey winter. As you can imagine, this smoky, spicy soup has become a weekly regular on our lunch menu this, much whiter, winter.

Heat 2 tbs. canola oil over medium heat in a 4 qt. pot.

While heating, dice 1 onion and 3 cloves garlic.

Add to hot oil and sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. adobo sauce and 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, sliced open, deseeded and minced.

Cook another 2 minutes.

Add 1 tbs. cumin and 1 tbs. chili powder.

Cook another 3 minutes to allow spices to bloom.

Add 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups beef broth (or some other combination of 6 cups of broth)

Cover and bring to a boil (which will take about 10 minutes). (Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary.)

Once boiling, add:

½ cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)

½ cup diced tomatoes

½ cup frozen (or canned) corn
1 cup water

Cover and return to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes uncovered.

Take off heat. Puree with immersion blender (or transfer to blender and puree) leaving some tomato chunks. Soup will lighten in color and become almost “creamy” from the starch in the beans and corn.

Return to heat. Add an additional:

½ cup corn

½ cup black beans

¼ cup diced tomatoes

Heat through. Ladle into bowls over shredded chicken.

Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Garnish as desired, with shredded cheese and tortilla sticks (recipe follows), sour cream and/or avocado.

Tortilla sticks

Slice corn tortillas in strips. Toss with canola or other vegetable oil and season with chili powder and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until crisp.