This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
the pozole is a dish of pre-Hispanic origin that was, at first, reserved for special occasions and religious ceremonies. Some legends even say that it was prepared with human meat and given as an offering to the gods in order to obtain a fruitful harvest! Today the pozole is above all a main dish that comes in three colors (red, white or green) and as many flavors. It comes with salad, totopos (chips mexicans), guacamole, etc. It’s a perfect dish for the holidays!
Ingredients
1 C. vegetable oil
3.5 cups sliced mushrooms (or the same weight jackfruit)
1 cup chopped onions
6 minced garlic cloves
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 poblano peppers
3-4 serrano peppers (or less, depending on tolerance)
4 medium-sized tomatillos
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup spinach
1 sprig of epazote (optional)
¼ tsp. tablespoons dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup white miso paste
1 can (820 g) corn pozole drained and rinsed
Decoration
1 avocado pitted and cubed
4 red radishes, thinly sliced
½ romaine or iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
4 tostadas (fried corn tortillas)
Preparation
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté sliced mushrooms in oil until golden brown.
2. While the mushrooms cook, toast the pumpkin seeds in a small skillet over low heat.
3. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and replace with the chopped onions. Reduce heat and sweat onions until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms to the pot along with the broth, miso paste and corn. Simmer very gently while preparing the sauce.
5. On griddle over medium-high heat, cook poblano and serrano peppers and tomatillos until cooked through and black specks all over.
6. Arrange the poblano peppers in a deep bowl, then cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let stand 5 minutes before peeling the peppers and removing the seeds and stems.
7. Put the poblano and serrano peppers, the pumpkin seeds, the tomatillos, the spinach, the epazote, the coriander and the oregano in the blender until you obtain a fairly homogeneous liquid mixture.
8. Strain the sauce, then simmer it in a small saucepan for 5 to 6 minutes, until it takes on a dark green color.
9. Add the mushrooms and corn to the sauce. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
10. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Pour it into a deep serving dish or several bowls and add the decorations. Enjoy your lunch !
Chief’s advice
Most of the typical Mexican ingredients in this recipe (peppers, corn pozole, epazote, tostadas) are easily found in Latin grocery stores. However, it is possible to replace corn pozole by pre-cooked white corn, which will have to be transformed into cornmeal in this case.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.