Pozole Verde With Mushrooms
At dinner parties this pozole verde with mushrooms is a dish that wows with its bright green color and herbal flavors.
The history of pozole, spelled with an “s” in South Texas and Northeastern Mexico, begins 3,500 years ago in what is now Guatemala and Southern Mexico. Women transformed simple corn kernels into a nutrition-rich food through a molecular process that involves boiling dried corn with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). The process is called nixtamalization. It turns corn kernels into hominy.
This recipe is from “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook”
published by Texas Tech University Press.
Recipe for Pozole Verde With Mushrooms
Ingredients (serves 4)
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, washed, sliced
1/2 cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 poblano chiles
1 serrano chile
2 tomatillos, peeled, washed, and quartered
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chard, washed and chopped
1/8 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 quarts light vegetable stock (most store-bought vegatable stocks will be light in color, not made with dark roasted vegetables. This so that the bright color of the greens can shine through.)
1 lb. hominy, canned, or you can make your own, recipe here
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup roasted and ground pumpkin seeds (optional)
2 leaves of epazote (optional)Garnish
1 avocado, diced
4 radishes, washed, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
4 tostadas, recipe hereMethod
1. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbs. vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, until they are soft, the edges a bit browned. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
2. In the same Dutch oven, add the diced onion, lower the heat, and cook for about 4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Then return the mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Set aside.
3. Place the chiles poblanos under a broiler and cook them for about 5 minutes, until the skin blisters, turning slightly brown with some black spots. Flip them and do the same to the other side. Remove them from the broiler and cover completely with a damp cloth for 15 minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel the outer paper-thin skin from the chiles. Slice each chile lengthwise to remove all the seeds and the stem. Set aside.
5. If you are adding the optional pumpkin seeds, use a cast iron or other skillet, on medium heat, and roast the pumpkin seeds for about 5 minutes or until they start turning a golden color. Remove from the heat immediately. Overcooking them will develop a bitter taste. Set aside.
6. In the same skillet, on medium heat,roast the chile serrano and the tomatillos until they are soft and develop black spots, about 5–7 minutes. Set aside.
7. In a blender, add the poblano and serrano chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, chard, epazote (if using), and oregano and blend on high until the purée is smooth and velvety. Add 1/2 cup water as needed to blend the ingredients well.
8. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the green purée and cook for 5 minutes until the color deepens to an earthy green. Then add the powdered roasted pumpkin seeds and combine well.
9. Add the cooked purée to the mushroom mixture in the Dutch oven; add the hominy and heat thoroughly.
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, washed, sliced
1/2 cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 poblano chiles
1 serrano chile
2 tomatillos, peeled, washed, and quartered
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chard, washed and chopped
1/8 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 quarts light vegetable stock (most store-bought vegatable stocks will be light in color, not made with dark roasted vegetables. This so that the bright color of the greens can shine through.)
1 lb. hominy, canned, or you can make your own, recipe here
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup roasted and ground pumpkin seeds (optional)
2 leaves of epazote (optional)Garnish
1 avocado, diced
4 radishes, washed, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
4 tostadas, recipe hereMethod
1. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbs. vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, until they are soft, the edges a bit browned. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
2. In the same Dutch oven, add the diced onion, lower the heat, and cook for about 4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Then return the mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Set aside.
3. Place the chiles poblanos under a broiler and cook them for about 5 minutes, until the skin blisters, turning slightly brown with some black spots. Flip them and do the same to the other side. Remove them from the broiler and cover completely with a damp cloth for 15 minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel the outer paper-thin skin from the chiles. Slice each chile lengthwise to remove all the seeds and the stem. Set aside.
5. If you are adding the optional pumpkin seeds, use a cast iron or other skillet, on medium heat, and roast the pumpkin seeds for about 5 minutes or until they start turning a golden color. Remove from the heat immediately. Overcooking them will develop a bitter taste. Set aside.
6. In the same skillet, on medium heat,roast the chile serrano and the tomatillos until they are soft and develop black spots, about 5–7 minutes. Set aside.
7. In a blender, add the poblano and serrano chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, chard, epazote (if using), and oregano and blend on high until the purée is smooth and velvety. Add 1/2 cup water as needed to blend the ingredients well.
8. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the green purée and cook for 5 minutes until the color deepens to an earthy green. Then add the powdered roasted pumpkin seeds and combine well.
9. Add the cooked purée to the mushroom mixture in the Dutch oven; add the hominy and heat thoroughly.
Serve hot, accompanied with tostadas and garnishes so that each diner may enjoy according to their preference.
Muchas gracias Chef.Como siempre una receta excelente de usted. Buen provecho ! Disfrutamos mucho de sus recetas y las historias de la cocina indigena Mexicana de Texas y del norte de Mexico.