I’m a black-eyed pea girl when it comes to New Year’s Day fare. A big bowl of the golden legumes, made rich with ham hocks and piquant with a dose of pepper vinegar is usually my insurance that I’m off to a good start. And throw in some smoky collards and a thick slice of ham and my good fortune is tripled! But not everyone subscribes to this view. Take my New Mexican friend Monica—she’ll be eating red posole on New Year’s Day.
Remember where we were 10 years ago? Yes, we were all waving our hands and fretting over that Y2K nonsense which predicted a computer glitch would bring the world to a standstill come midnight, January 1, 2000. Living in New York City, nothing terrified me more than being stuck in a city caught in a meltdown, so I made a plan to be in Texas for New Year’s Eve 1999 instead.
“Come on down!” said Monica, who lived in Dallas. “We’re having a big bash and you’ll be safe here. Plus, I’m making red posole.”
I’d never had red posole and was a little dubious that she was serving this instead of black-eyed peas. She assured me, however, that this is what her family ate in New Mexico, not to mention it was traditional New Year’s Day fare in Mexico as well.
As she began to make the posole, she pulled out a large bag stuffed with the elegant red New Mexican chiles. They were dry but pliable and if you sniffed you could smell their fire and spice. I had never cooked with whole dried chiles before, so I was an eager student, curious to see how it was done.
She then threw into the pot the hominy or posole (as it’s known in Spanish), which gives the dish its name. These huge corn kernels have been soaked in lye water until the hull and germ have been removed, an ancient process called nixtamalization. And what’s left behind is a flavorful thick puff with enough chew and squeak to keep things interesting.
Besides our dancing like fools to Beck and Prince that New Year’s Eve, I remember how Monica’s house was fragrant with pork, chiles, garlic and corn as the posole simmered on the stove. And when the clock struck midnight and we discovered that the world was still intact, we tucked into a bowl of the rich red soup thick with hominy and looked ahead to not only a new year, but also a new decade and a new century as well.
I think we can all agree that this past decade has been challenging. But there have been many highlights for me as well, the biggest of which was starting this blog and getting to know so many of you as we've connected over our mutual love of good Texan food. And while I usually prefer black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, I can’t help but wonder if Monica’s red posole didn’t help steer me onto this path. If so, I am eternally grateful.
So I raise my bowl to y’all for being such a bright spot in the past decade--may y’all have a peaceful, prosperous, healthy and happy New Year!
Red posole
1 pound of dried posole or two 29 oz. cans of hominy, drained
1 pound of pork shoulder, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of lard, bacon grease, corn or canola oil
8 cups of water (can substitute part with beer or chicken broth for more flavor)
1 smoked ham hock
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (can substitute regular oregano)
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
9 New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
For serving:
One avocado sliced,
One lime cut into wedges
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup of diced onion
Tortillas and tortilla chips
Method:
If using dried hominy, soak the hominy a gallon of water for at least eight hours until it’s doubled in size.
In a large pot, heat up the lard and cook the onion for 10 minutes. Add the pork and brown on each side for a couple of minutes. Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Pour the water into the pot and add the ham hock, oregano, cumin, ground cloves and ancho-chile powder. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer.
Meanwhile, take your New Mexican chiles and cook on high in a dry cast-iron skillet until the pop, a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add water to the skillet and let the chiles soak until hydrated, about half an hour.
Drain the chile-soaking liquid, and place the chiles in a blender. Add one cup of water and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed. Stir the chile puree into the soup pot.
After a couple of hours, add the hominy to the pot along with the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. At this point, adjust your spices and add salt to the pot. Continue to cook on low for a couple more hours.
Pour into bowls and serve with diced onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, avocado slices and tortillas or tortilla chips.
Serves 8.
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If you also want to make black-eyed pea and collard greens (I will be), here are some recipes:
Big ol' pot of black-eyed peas
Black-eyed pea dip with garlic and bacon
Good fortune soup
Texas caviar
Peanut-butter collard greens
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