Martha’s Pork Pozole Verde

It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here…. Martha’s Pork Pozole Verde!

Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew made with meat, spices, and most importantly — Hominy. Hominy is a type of dried, treated corn and it is always found in Pozole. Pozole can be prepared in many ways and the 3 most common types of Pozole are Rojo (red), Blanco (white), and Verde (green). I’ve honestly only ever had Rojo or Verde and love them both so much! 

Today, we have a guest recipe share an authentic Pozole Verde made by my dear friend, Martha. Martha grew up in Leon, Mexico, which is in the state of Guanajuato where she grew up eating Pozole Verde in her home. She has told me all about her mother who was known for her incredible cooking. In fact, she was such a great cook that she even taught cooking classes in Leon while Martha was growing up.  While I have never had Martha’s mother’s cooking, I can assure you that this recipe that she is sharing with us is absolutely incredible that she has passed down to her. While it takes time and attention to make a beautiful pot of Pozole, it’s worth every minute. The end result is absolutely outstanding and every bite is filled with comfort, love, and soul. 

A Q+A with Martha about the Pozole Recipe:

Me: What do you serve the Pozole with?

Martha: We always serve Pozole with crispy tostadas. The salty crunch is so delicious… similar to soup with crackers! We never ever eat pozole without tostadas!

Me: Okay– I know this is a controversial question. Why do you top your pozole with lettuce? How come a lot of people choose cabbage?

Martha: This is definitely something that I know people from Mexico disagree on, but I grew up with shredded iceberg lettuce on top always. Many would argue that cabbage is the ‘correct’ way to top Pozole, but I always grew up with iceberg lettuce and to me it is the ‘correct’ way to eat Pozole.  I prefer its texture and flavor in the soup. You prefer it with thinly sliced green cabbage though? Eat it with cabbage!

Me: This feeds a lot of people– How many people would you say this feeds? 16?

Martha: Alex, 16?? (laughs) I’d say 12!

Me: Does it freeze well?

Martha: yes, you can freeze it. 

Me: Growing up, did you eat the Pozole regularly, or was it mainly for special occasions?

Martha: It is a very typical dish in Mexican. We eat it a lot in September, which is the National month. It’s perfect for any occasion– a birthday or a family gathering and it’s also served when it gets cold! 

Martha, thank you so very much for sharing this special recipe with The Defined Dish community. I know it will be loved all over, and I will cherish this recipe forever!!

I hope you all enjoy Martha’s Pork Pozole Verde as much as we do!

Martha's Pork Pozole Verde

Serves: 12 People

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5 from 2 votes

Ingredients

• 4 - 4 ½ pounds bone-in pork shoulder quartered
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 large white onion quartered
• 1 ½ pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed
• 4 large poblano pepper cut in half lengthwise, seeds and core removed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups packed, loosely chopped green leaf lettuce (or 1 head)
• 2 cups packed, loosely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 [25 ounce] cans Mexican-style hominy drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

For serving:

• ½ head iceberg lettuce of green cabbage very thinly sliced
• 6 radishes thinly sliced
• whole red chiles torn into small pieces (optional for spicy. You can also use crushed red chile flakes)
• Freshly chopped cilantro
• 2 limes cut into wedges

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pork, fat side down, to the skillet and sear until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour in enough water so that the pork is covered by one inch and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.
• Place the onion in a high-speed blender and add 3-4 ladles (about 1 cup) of the boiling water from the pot and blend until smooth. Pour into the stew pot. Cover and continue to simmer. (Keep the blender out, you’re going to need it a few more times).
• Meanwhile, place the tomatillos and poblano peppers on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to coat and transfer to the oven. Roast until the poblanos are tender and the tomatillos have softened, about 15 minutes.
• Place the tomatillos and poblano peppers in the blender with 3-4 ladles of the liquid from the boiling pot. Blend until smooth and add to the stew. Cover and continue to cook.
• Meanwhile, place the cilantro, green leaf lettuce, garlic with 3-4 ladles of the liquid from the boiling pot. Blend until smooth and add to the pot of stew.
• Continue to simmer, covered, until the pork is very tender, about 2 - 2.5 more hours.
• Using tongs, transfer the tender pork to a cutting board and cut into small, bite sized cubes and transfer back to the stew pot. Taste the stock and add more salt, as needed. The soup will need more than you think since it’s a very large pot of soup and you use water as the base to make the broth. Then, add the hominy (be sure to drain and rinse!) and continue to cook, covered, until the hominy is tender, about 20 more minutes.
• When ready to serve, ladle the pozole into bowls and top with lettuce (or cabbage), sliced radishes, torn chiles (optional), cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge! Enjoy!