Pozole Verde

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bone-in chicken leg quarters or pork shoulder
• 1 pound tomatillos
• 3 poblano or Anaheim peppers
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 cups water or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano or oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• black pepper
• cilantro
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• Salt
• radish leaves (optional)
• 2 sprigs epazote (optional)
• 4 cups cooked white hominy

Garnish

Ideas for garnishing

• Limes
• Radishes
• Cabbage
• Cilantro
• Avocados
• Sour Cream
• Tortilla Chips
• Onion
• Green onion
• Fresh corn
• Queso fresco

Preparation

1. Roast tomatillos and peppers 425°F for ~30 minutes until they begin to char. To save time, can also start step 5/6 at the same time and add roasted vegetables to remaining ingredients whenever they are ready. Just allow to simmer with other ingredients for at least 20 minutes.
2. Toast coriander and cumin seeds and then grind to powder.
3. Toast pepitas until they begin to pop and smell nutty.
4. Allow roasted vegetables to cool and then puree until smooth in blender along with pepitas, cilantro, and radish leaves.
5. Optionally, brown the meat in a large pot and then remove. Pork could be cooked in advance in a pressure cooker or oven.
6. In large pot, saute onions until translucent and then add garlic and saute for about a minute.
7. Add hominy, meat, pureed tomatillos and peppers (if ready), water/stock, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and salt. Cover and cook until meat is cooked and can be shredded. About 1 hour for chicken. If pork has been cooked and shredded beforehand, just cook for ~20-30 minutes to let flavors blend.
8. Once meat is cooked, remove from pot and cool until it can be handled and shredded and then add it back to the pot and cook for 20 minutes more.