I’ve always had a soft spot for cookbooks, and as a professional food writer that fondness turned into an ever-growing stack of books arriving at my door. I get unsolicited packages from PR lists year-round, which is a nice problem to have — except it’s made me more selective about which cookbooks I actually buy.
Alison Roman’s Dining In was one I debated for a while. I shrugged off the internet-famous cookies, even when a gluten-free riff tempted me. But when a friend mentioned her version of Mexican pozole rojo, I caved — shelf space be damned. Her pork stew with red chiles was the first recipe I tried, and it justified the purchase many times over.
This stew is essentially a hybrid of red and green posole: guajillo chiles provide a deep, red chile base while whole tomatillos add brightness. I pushed the hybrid idea further by tossing in a pint of cherry tomatoes for extra acidity. Aside from the dried chiles, the ingredient list is straightforward and the method is mostly hands-off. You will want to check the pot now and then — your house will smell so good you’ll be tempted to hover.
I made this pork posole in the slow cooker: four hours on high, partially covered, since I had to run out to a baby shower. The result was a cozy, comforting soup that fits the shifting weather — warm for chilly spring nights but still bright when finished with raw Napa cabbage, cilantro and lime wedges.
I didn’t include hominy in my version, not for dietary reasons but because none of the grocery stores in my neighborhood had it. The soup was still delicious, but purists will note that without hominy it’s not strictly posole. If you want a more traditional version, add a can of hominy with the tomatillos.
Below is my take on this hybrid Mexican pozole rojo-verde. If you’ve got recommendations for new cookbooks I should make room for, I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Pork Soup with Red Chiles (Faux Pork Posole)
print recipe
15 minutes
3 hours 30 minutes
3 hours 45 minutes
4
Phoebe Lapine
Ingredients
- 6 large guajillo or New Mexican chiles (about 2 ounces)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
- Sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pound tomatillos, quartered
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 can hominy (for a traditional, non-paleo version)
- 1 quart chicken stock or water
- 2 limes, quartered
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or lidded saucepan, toast the chiles over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove to a work surface to cool, then cut the tops off and shake out the seeds. Discard the tops and seeds.
- Place the cleaned chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with 3 cups boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the soaked chiles to a blender with the garlic, shallot and 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid (reserve the rest). Puree until smooth.
- Return the Dutch oven or saucepan to high heat and warm the oil. Season the pork generously with salt and cumin. When the pan is hot, add the pork in an even layer and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Carefully add the chile puree, scraping up brown bits, and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatillos, cherry tomatoes, remaining chile water, hominy (if using), an additional 4 cups chicken stock or water, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook another 2 hours, or until the pork is falling-apart tender. Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker and cook 4 hours on high, partially covered.
- Stir in the juice of one lime and serve the remaining lime wedges on the side. Divide the soup among bowls and top with shredded cabbage and cilantro.
Notes
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe — I’d love to see it!