My friend S introduced me to pozole today, a traditional Mexican pork stew made with hominy. She said she gets it from a lady here on Isla who makes it every Wednesday. I’ve been curious about it, but the last two Wednesdays since I heard about it didn’t work out schedule-wise for going on a pozole exploration expedition.
Here’s the stew as I received it:
I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I got really wasn’t it. I think I was expecting something really spicy. Instead, you get a really savoury and meaty broth, with tender pork and the chewy bits of corn that is really a blank canvas for toppings. I’d never had hominy before (other than as grits) and I have to say that it was really satisfying and more filling than regular corn.
S said that when she buys it, she gets a bag of lettuce and onions and another of hot sauce to mix in. You can add in lots of other things like cilantro, cabbage, crema, and/or avocado. I was too famished after my walk to mess with it, so I just cubed up a whole avocado and added it over the hot stew, then squeezed in the juice of a lime. I think a little onion was missing, but otherwise this was incredibly satisfying and nourishing. The flavours were subtle and the pork very tender. The avocado broke down into the sauce and made it very creamy while the lime added a note of brightness.
I have enough for one more meal and I’m pretty sure I am going to hunt down the pozole lady on Wednesday. S says it’s 50 peso for a container of the stew and she usually gets four meals out of it!
