Pork pozole

Pozole is a stew popular throughout Mexico: its main ingredient is a variety of white corn called cacahuazintle. Pozole is most commonly made with pork, but it can also be made with chicken, seafood or mushrooms. There are three basic types of pozole: white, the most popular; green, made with green tomatillos; and red, made with guajillo and ancho chillies. It’s often cooked in large quantities for celebrations.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 900g/2lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5cm/2in chunks
• 1 small garlic bulb
• ½ onion, peeled
• 3 plum tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 5 guajillo chillies, stem and seeds removed
• 1 ancho chilli, stem and seeds removed
• 650g/1lb 7oz (drained weight) precooked pozole maize, rinsed (see Tip)

To garnish

• 2 handfuls iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• dried chilli flakes
• dried oregano
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole (ideally cast iron) over a medium–high heat and brown the pork in batches, removing each browned batch to a large plate.

2. Once all the pork is browned, return it to the casserole and add 2 litres/3½ pints water, the garlic, onion, tomatoes, salt and oregano. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Skim off the scum that forms on the surface. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Add the guajillo and ancho chillies to the broth to rehydrate for 10 minutes.

4. Once they are hydrated, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the broth, along with the tomatoes, onion and garlic.

5. Put three of the cooked garlic cloves (discard the rest) in a blender, along with the chillies, tomatoes, onion and 250ml/9fl oz of the broth from the casserole. Blend until smooth.

6. Strain the sauce through a sieve back into the casserole. Add the pozole maize, stir well and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Serve garnished with shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped onion, chilli flakes and dried oregano, with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Pork pozole