Pozole... Sort Of

A very common Mexican dish is pozole.  It is a thick soup that is named after one of its principal ingredients, "pozole blanco" (white hominy).  I wouldn't say that it is my favorite Mexican soup, although Alejandro's aunt makes a very good pozole.  I had a can of white hominy in the cupboard, and I had some ingredients left over from making enchiladas the previous day, so on Saturday I made something similar to pozole.

I threw a carton of chicken broth and a couple cans of undrained diced tomatoes into the kettle.  I added some of the home made enchilada sauce that I had left over, and, of course, the can of hominy drained.  Pozole can be made with pork or with chicken, and I have seen recipes calling for both.  So I added a ham steak that I had in the fridge which I cut into cubes and also the chicken that was left over from the enchiladas.  In a skillet I sautéed some onions, celery, bell pepper, jalapeños, and zucchini to put in the soup.  This is where my concoction differed from genuine pozole.  Alejandro told me that those vegetables are not a part of the recipe.  A Mexican would also ask, "Where are the garnishes?"  Bowls of sliced radishes, and shredded lettuce or cabbage are usually placed of the table.  There is also usually a shaker of oregano on the table, although I did season the pozole with a generous amount of that spice.

Other than the fact that it was spicier because of the jalapeños, it tasted very similar the pozole that I have had in Mexico.   A couple bowls of the soup, along with some warmed up tortillas, made a very filling dinner.