Domesticated Diva: Sopa For The Soul...Braised Pork Posole Recipe

Being from San Antonio, I've had my fair share of Mexican cuisine. Mr. Domesticated Diva and I had a wonderful bowl of Posole from Rosario's Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio, TX.

Rosario's Posole

Here is our version:

Ingredients:
(Approximately 6-7 Servings)
-1.5 lbs pork butt (cut in 3/4" cubes)
-5 Slices of bacon (chopped)
-1 tsp of the bacon drippings
-1 large Poblano Chile Pepper
-1 onion (diced)
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 Jalapeno (seeded and diced)
-1/2 tsp of dried oregano
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp of chile powder
-a pinch of ground cloves
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
-8 cups of chicken stock
-1 can of mild enchilada sauce
-1 can of hominy (drained and rinsed)
-1/2 a head of purple cabbage (finely sliced)
-2 limes (cut into wedges)
-Corn Tortillas (about a dozen)

Preheat oven on broiler setting. Start by slicing the Poblano Chile in half. Place the chile cut side down onto a baking sheet.

Bake in the oven until the peppers are blackened and blistered. This takes approximately 8-10 minutes. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until it is cooled. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Once cooled, peel the skin of the peppers and discard. Dice the peppers and set aside.

Next, cook bacon on medium high heat until bacon is slightly crispy and fat starts to be release. Place bacon on a paper towel lined plate.

Remove some of the bacon drippings in the pan, but reserve approximately one teaspoon. Place the one teaspoon of bacon drippings in a large pot or dutch oven, With the heat on medium high, cook the pork cubes until brown on all sides. Remove the cooked pork pieces and place on the same plate as the bacon.

Next, stir in the garlic and about 3/4 of the onion into the dutch oven (reserve the remainder of the onion for garnish). Cook until onions are tender and garlic begins to brown.

Stir in the roasted poblano chiles, jalapeno peppers, oregano, cumin, chile powder, cloves, salt, and cilantro (reserve approximately 1/4 cup for garnish). Cook for 1 minute.

Pour in the chicken stock and enchilada sauce. Then, stir in the bacon and pork cubes. Bring pot to a simmer over medium high heat. Once the soup begins to bubble, reduce to medium low and cover. Simmer with the lid on for approximately 1 1/2 hours.