Posole
This recipe for slowly braised beef in Rojo sauce is a process that requires some time, but is well worth the results. Enjoy with flour tortillas or corn tortillas. This recipe was taught in a City Market cooking class on Mexican Slow Food, with Mara Welton of Half Pint Farm and Slow Food Vermont.
Prep Time
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Ingredients
Instructions
To braise the beef:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add enough oil to lightly coat a heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, and preheat over medium high heat.
Pat dry beef pieces with paper towels. If pieces are too large, cut in half. Season pieces of beef with salt and pepper. Using tongs, sear beef on all sides. Remove from pan and reserve on a plate until all pieces are seared.
Add onions and garlic to Dutch oven. Add seared beef, and sprinkle 1 tsp. oregano flakes over the top. Pour 2 cup of prepared rojo sauce over beef. Bring to boil. When boiling, place lid on top and place in oven for 2 hours, or until meat shreds easily. Remove beef from rojo sauce and cool on a plate. Strain the sauce, onions and garlic through a fine mesh colander. Discard solids. You now have “potlikker.”
When beef is cool, shred. Reserve potlikker and shredded beef for final step.
To assemble the posole:
Preheat a heavy-bottomed 4 quart pot over medium high heat. Add a couple tablespoons oil to pot, and when warmed, add onions to pot. When onions become fragrant and softened (about 2 minutes), add hominy and stir. Add beef to pot, stir and sprinkle 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper to beef. Stir and add potlikker. Bring to a boil.
Add 4 cups prepared rojo sauce and 4 cups water to pot. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook until you cannot stand it any longer as the aroma will be intoxicating and you will be very hungry by now (30-45 minutes, or longer)!
Serve topped with cilantro, fresh chopped onions, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and a squirt of lime.
Enjoy with tortillas of your choice!