Punching the Throat

Red stews seem to be dominating my repertoire lately. It's getting colder, to my delight, don't get me wrong, but the furnace in the house isn't up and running yet, so it's pretty damn cold in my living quarters. Consequently, all I want to do is huddle under the blankets on a couch in a melancholic depression, watch the telly, and ladle spoonfuls of meaty, spicy stew into my gaping maw. I've been doing just that, and it's been nice...in a worrying, non-productive way.

Pozole has been in my periphery of intentions for quite awhile now, and though I originally intended to make a white pozole (non-spicy) that would slide down my throat simple and easy...I ended up going red instead. After all, there were and are still so many different types of dried chile peppers in my kitchen, that I really couldn't make a white pozole without feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. I'm also unfamiliar with the taste and heat of the dried peppers in my pantry, so trying them out in pretty much every stew and soup to come off my stove is also an easy way to remedy my chile ignorance. I've become familiar with the harmless guajillo chiles, as well as the chipotle chiles, but after shuffling through the bags on the shelves, I decided that it was time to break out the New Mexico chiles, which are supposed to be on the same heat level as the guajillo chiles, and the arbol chiles. I wanted something spicier, I just didn't know how much. Turning over the arbol chiles in my hands a couple times, I figured, no big deal. Upon tasting the stew, however, well...let's just say here are some words of warning.

Small. Red. Firecracker red. Arbol Chiles.

Apparently, the smaller the chile, the higher its heat content. I knew this going in. I also knew, straight-up, that a great deal of the chiles heat is in its seeds. I knew this because Secrets to Tsil Cafe was one of my favorite books in middle school, and also because I've eaten a fair amount of chiles. And yet, in all honesty, I still really deep down have no intuitive sense what "heat level" really is. I know that habaneros are the devil but I still really like them. I know that jalapenos are wussy green-tasting peppers that sometimes manage to catch me off guard and punch me in the mouth. Serranos are much better, slower though slightly hotter, to me. Still, even though I have these peppers in my history, I still have no answer to the question "How hot can hot really be?" I guess I'll never really know until I eat a ghost pepper.

Anyways, I was unsure of where in the heat ladder dried arbol chiles ranked, but they are pretty darn hot, and they definitely surprised me in lieu of my innocuous guajillo chile pepper experience. Not as hot as habanero though. I used about 5 of them in this recipe, seeds included, and it was on the whoa nelly spicy end of the spectrum. I'm pretty sure most of the heat came from the arbol chiles, though I did grind up the seeds of the New Mexico chiles as well, so I'm sure they added some heat in addition to mild fruitiness. Nonetheless, even though this red pozole came out spicy, it's not unbearably spicy, in fact, I found it to be the perfect  level of spice. It's a bit of an initial punch in the throat, especially if you catch a particularly chile-filled bite straight-off, but after that it's easy sailing with a slightly runny nose. I really enjoyed it..though first time around, have a glass of milk on the side.  As usual, with heat level, it's all preference: Pinky said it was a bit too spicy and he couldn't really stand it, so I ended up eating nearly all of it (not that I'm complaining). I also think that outside of the spice, the soup has a lot of great stuff going on in it. The pork is incredibly succulent and falls apart in your mouth. Hominy adds great texture and flavor, and the mushrooms add an earthiness (I know, I know, shitake mushrooms are not in traditional pozole). Also, pozole can be a bit of a blank slate for people, and the additions of finely shredded cabbage and avocado add a cooling element and overall crunch. 

Provecho!

Red Chile Pozole

8-9 servings

2-3 lbs of pork shoulder or boneless ribs

2 C chicken broth

1/2 head of garlic

3 New Mexico chiles

3-5 chiles de arbols (alter depending on how much heat you want)

1 1/2 C boiling water

1 red onion
1 medium white onion

1/4 head of red cabbage, diced fine
>you can use 1/2 a head if you'd like more

1/2 C diced shitake mushrooms

2 TB cumin

30 oz. cooked hominy
>I used canned hominy, but I've heard it is better to buy hominy dried or frozen and cook it from there; apparently it yields more corn flavor this way

for the toppings

salt and pepper

1 avocado

white cabbage, finely chopped
lime, to squeeze

Prepare the meat. You can sear the pork if you want, but I did not and it turned out great. Peel and reserve 3 cloves of garlic. Peel and smash the rest of the gloves until juices are released. In a pot, drop the 2 C of chicken broth, garlic, and pork shoulder. Cook on low heat or simmer for 1-1/2 hours or more, until pork is tender and the fat has melted away, and you can pull the pork apart into strands with a fork. Once the pork is done, pull it apart and let it sit and cool in its own liquid (the broth) in the pot until other ingredients are ready.

Prepare the dried chiles. Butterfly them open, remove the stem and ribs, and reserve the seeds. Toast the flesh and the seeds in a hot pan until the oils are activated (do not burn). You'll be able to smell the chiles. Rehydrate the toasted chiles and seeds in the boiled or hot water (once you add the chiles, turn off the heat so that the water is no longer boiling), letting sit for 20 minutes. To make this pozole less spicy, use less chile de arbols and do not add the seeds of the chile de arbols into the recipe.

While the chiles are rehydrating, prepare the remaining ingredients. Dice the garlic and onions fine, and using olive oil or 1 TB of butter, saute the garlic and onions in a large pot on med-high heat until aromatic and translucent. Then add the cumin, the diced red cabbage, and the shitake mushrooms, cooking and stirring in the pot until some browning action occurs.

Puree your chiles, chile seeds, and water in a food processor until fine. Strain if you don't want chunks.

Drain and rinse your hominy well. If you are using frozen hominy, have it cooking from the beginning in water and use that water as part of your stock (obviously not possible if you are using canned). Add the hominy to the pot and stir until coated with the oil/butter and cumin. Then add your pureed chiles and continue cooking. Finally, add the cooked pork and broth, stir, and add water until all ingredients are submerged in water. Lower the heat and continue cooking for 30 minutes or until the desired amount of liquid has evaporated off. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toppings of slice avocado, lime, and cabbage.