Recipe: Pozole

On a chilly, blustery and blizzardy winter's night -- also the eve of  snowstorm in which we're expecting 25 centimetres overnight-- there was nothing I wanted more than this hearty warming bowl of this Mexican stew.

Doesn't this make you want soup and pajamas?

 There's a version from scratch that takes hours to simmer (and it's also traditionally made with pork) but my quicker and chicken-based version did the trick just fine. The recipe calls for hominy, basically corn kernels that are either canned or dried, which you can find in some Mexican food aisles at grocery stores or Mexican food stores. But if you can't find hominy, go with a black bean or even kidney.

Either way, this soup/stew is fantastic and while rather simple, you can dress it with as many fresh veggie toppings -- like cilantro, avocado and radishes -- and crispy tortillas as you like, paired with a slice of lime to squeeze and hola! Mexico -- you feel like you've been whisked away somewhere fabulously warm.

Serves six.

For chicken:

two chicken breasts
olive oil
dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine, to deglaze

For soup:
chili paste:

4 dried red chilies (more or less to your spice liking)
3/4 cup water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup canned whole tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper

Broth:
6 cups water
3 tbsp chicken flavouring
rest of can of tomatoes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cinnamon
4 bay leaves
1 can hominy drained and rinsed
1 lime, juiced

Toppings:
1 avocado, sliced
3 green onions, diced
6 radishes, sliced
1/2 cup monteray jack, havarti or other medium-soft cheese)
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
4  small tortillas (sliced thin, and baked in oven for 20 minutes at 350)
1 lime, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In stock pot, combine chilies with 3/4 cup water and let simmer for 10 minutes. Pour that mix into blender with 2 cloves minced garlic, roasted red pepper and 1 cup of tomatoes. Blend until pureed. Add six cups water, chicken flavouring and rest of can of tomatoes to stock pot and stir. Add in cumin coriander, cinnamon, bay leaves and hominy. Add in juice of one lime. Let simmer 20-30 minutes.

In frying pan, heat oil and garlic. Add chicken and oregano to coat chicken. Stir and let brown for about 7-10 minutes. When its cooked add to stock pot. Use wine to deglaze frying pan, picking up all the brown bits with a spatula and add to stock pot.

Put sliced tortillas in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

While stock is simmering, chop up garnishes and set aside.

You can either ladle soup into bowls and garnish individually starting with tortilla, then veggies, then cheese and cilantro on top, with lime wedge on side (feel free to switch it up though) or serve family style.

Bon Appetit!