Continuing my foray into more challenging cooking, this week’s dish was Pozole Rojo with Tortillas de Maiz. I’ve never had Pozole Rojo, a Mexican stew made from pork and hominy, and I’ve never made tortillas.  So sounded like another good way to branch out!

Corn Tortillas

Recipe | Video

Corn tortillas are made from a corn flour product called masa, which is corn processed with lime so that the hulls come off and the corn is softer.  It also makes the corn more nutritious by adding calcium and releasing niacin.  The recipe is super simple, just the flour and warm water kneaded, pressed and then cooked in a hot pan.

I didn’t have a tortilla press, but I do have some large plates with smooth bottoms.  Using that with a gallon zip-lock cut along the sides worked very well, and the tortillas turn out quite well!  Getting them to fall flat on the pan the first time is a bit tricky, so they weren’t super smooth, but they held together surprisingly well. The recipe could have perhaps used a bit of salt, but unless you’re eating them plain it’s not a big deal.

After pressing and cooking them, I fried them up to make chip strips do add to the Pozole Rojo.

Pork and Hominy Stew with Red Chiles

Recipe | Video

Pozole Rojo takes a while to make, as you first simmer the pork ribs for over an hour, then pull the meat off to add back to the broth with the rest of the ingredients.  It was kind of hard to put two racks of pork ribs in a soup…I was really tempted to grill them!

Here’s the red chile sauce.  It’s just made of dried chiles soaked in hot water, garlic and onion.

Ta da!  The hominy adds a pretty strong flavor that takes some getting used to, but after having it for most of my meals this week, I’ve grown to really like the flavor of this stew.  It’s a bit milder than I expected from the hot chile sauce, so next time I may make a bit more of that.  But all in all, tasty!