Try this colorful soup for a new, easy meal! By combining pork and hominy, you have a traditional Mexican Posole soup, both hearty and delicious. 

I love hominy! Brought up in a boarding house, we had great meals — but for obvious reason, they were very cost-efficient meals. Hominy was cheap. My grandmother served it often as a hot side dish, seasoned with salt, pepper and butter at her boarding house where Mother, Daddy and I lived after World War II. 

I had no idea that hominy was made from the grain of field corn or that in Mexico it was called posole, and sometimes spelled pozole. I just knew that I loved it. 

We don’t see many boarding houses anymore and it doesn’t seem like we see a lot of hominy on the table or the menu either, except maybe at an upscale Mexican restaurant where posole roja or posole verde are served. 

I still love hominy, and wanted to explore the posole. But when researching recipes, I discovered that they can be complicated and time consuming, as the author of one recipe that I read stated, “preparing posole can be a beating.” I’m not into that, so I made a very simple version using boneless country pork ribs (they were easy to cut into small cubes), canned hominy and store-bought broth.  

The traditional garnishes that accompany posole are bright and crisp, adding beautiful color and texture to this simple soup for an inviting presentation.

Posole

Ingredients:

• Canola oil to brown meat
• 2 lbs. country style boneless pork ribs (cut into small cubes)
• 1 cup yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
• 2 cartons low-sodium broth (chicken, pork or hearth style*)
• 2 (25 oz. cans) white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 oz. can) diced green chilies or Herdez salsa verde
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Salt and pepper (check for salt if the broth has salt)

Garnishes:

• Salsa Verde (Like Mrs. Renfro’s)
• Thinly sliced radish
• Cilantro
• Avocado
• Cotija cheese
• Tortilla strips**

*Hearth-style broth is a combination of broths that can be purchased at Central Market.
**Tri-colored tortilla strips made a colorful presentation

Directions: 

Brown meat and drain well on paper towel. Lightly sauté onion. Add garlic and sauté for a minute more. It is always important to not burn garlic as it becomes bitter. 

Return meat to pan and add broth, hominy, green chilies or Herdez salsa verde and seasonings. Simmer until meat and hominy are tender. This soup can also be made in a slow cooker if preferred.

Let your guests select the garnishes they like. Go easy on Mrs. Renfro's if you use it, as it is hot. Enjoy!