I Love New Mexico

It’s here -2020 in all it’s glory. If the weather is any indication of how the year is going to go, this should be a great one for all of us. The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and there’s hardly a breeze. I just had the pleasure of sitting in the sun on the porch swing at my friend Shelley’s house while the posole was getting warm, and it made me think that you might like to have her sister Glena’s amazing posole recipe

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. In your neck of the woods, black-eyed peas are probably the requisite lucky meal on New Year’s Day. And we always set the table with a small bowl of black-eyeds, just as a nod to tradition in other parts of the country. When I lived in North Carolina for 355 days (I absolutely had to get back home), the rule was that you had to have black-eyed peas and collard greens.

But I digress. . . . If you’re a native New Mexican, you have to have posole for good luck on New Year’s Day. And if you’re a food fan, you’ll love this recipe. You can get lots of good posole throughout the state, but this is truly my favorite. If you’re elsewhere (Mississippi, New York, California. . .some place like that) and can’t get frozen posole, just use canned hominy. It’s not a perfect substitute, but sometimes you have to make do when you can’t be in the Land of Enchantment.

Panza llena corazon contento*.

Glena’s Posole Recipe

5 boneless pork chops cubed

1pkg frozen pozole

1 container red bueno red chile (or fresh homemade red Chile if you’re lucky enough to have some)

1 onion chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

12 cups water

4 TBS chicken broth granules

2 tsp oregano

Combine pork, posole, onion, garlic, water, chicken broth granules in a large stew pot and simmer until the posole pops (about 3 hrs). You may need to add more water and chicken granules as needed. (1 tsp. granules per cup of water). When posole pops, add red chili, and oregano simmer for 30 minutes.

Best served with chopped onion, shredded cabbage, avocado, and lime.

“Full Belly Happy Heart!”