Posole with Ham and Hominy

When I say that meat shouldn’t always be center stage, but should be used to flavor and nuance other foods, THIS is what I’m talking about. This riff off of a traditional posole stew uses pork shank and the ends of your old cured and smoked hams for a delicious and cozy meal.

Ingredients:

1 pork shank, skinned
approx. 1/2 pound of random ends of your DIY smoked or cured hams, or bacon ends
4 T. unsalted butter or lard
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved lengthwise
1/4 c chopped fresh oregano
about 3 chili peppers (I used pickled chili peppers in mine :))
about a dozen tomatoes, chopped
5 cups cooked hominy (this is corn treated with lime. You can find it at tiendas easily)
salt and freshly ground pepper
dash of cumin and coriander

for garnish: sour cream, cilantro

Cover the skinned pork shank with cold water and 4 of the garlic cloves and place over high heat. Boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone. Remove the bone and meat from the stock, reserving the stock. Allow the meat to cool until you can shred it. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes to the stock, and using an immersion blender, blend them into the stock until there are no more lumps. Set aside. Next, chop the ham or bacon ends, the oregano, peppers, onion and garlic. In the bottom of a soup pot, melt the butter or lard and add the remaining garlic, onion, peppers, ham or bacon ends, and the oregano. Cook until the onions are soft and the aroma is making your mouth water. Now, add the stock, up to about 2-1/2 quarts. If you don’t have enough, make up the remaining quantity with water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Last, add the hominy and simmer some more, then taste, and add salt and pepper as desired. Add in cumin and coriander. Simmer up to 1 hour longer over very low heat.

Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro, and a side of rice or tortilla.