Meatless Monday - Vegetarian Posole

Several years ago I took a trip to New Mexico which is a fantastic state.  The landscape is amazing, the people were extremely friendly, and the pottery was beautiful.  I fell in love with the place and long to go back.  While I was there I was introduced to Posole which is a brothy soup that is full of flavors like cumin and cilantro.  It's delicious but it's usually made with pork or the vegetarian version is made with beans.  I don't do beans.  This recipe doesn't have beans in it but if you wanted to dump a can of pinto beans into the soup while it was cooking I'm sure it wouldn't hurt anything.

I used sweet potatoes for this recipe because I had some from my garden.  You could use white potatoes but remember that baking potatoes tend to break down in the soup and will make the broth thicker, russet potatoes will hold together better, it’s just a personal preference.

I garnished these with Limed Pumpkin Seeds which are really easy to make by mixing the juice of one line with half a tablespoon of salt in a small bowl or ramekin.  Then toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet.  Keep the skillet moving over the flame or stir continuously so the seeds don’t burn.  When the seeds are toasty brown pour the lime/salt over the seeds and stir until all the liquid is gone. Put the seeds in the ramekin and serve.

Vegetarian Posole

Ingredients:

1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1 pasilla chile, dried, seeded, deveined and minced
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 lime juiced
1 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated, stems tied tightly
1 large can hominy, about 29 ounces,
1 small bag frozen corn, thawed if possible
2 zucchini squash, cut into bite size pieces
1 medium potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
salt and pepper to taste
Pimenton or ground chipotle chile, optional, to taste
cotija or feta cheese
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Lime (*see recipe above)
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions, oregano, and pasilla chile and stir until onions and chile are soft and beginning to brown. Add one heaping teaspoon of ground cumin and stir, cooking for a few moments. Add vegetable stock to onion mixture, then lime juice, and cilantro stems. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for about ten minutes.

Add hominy, corn, zucchini and potato and simmer.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and cumin. To add smokiness without much heat, add sweet smoked Spanish pimenton. For smokiness with more heat, add a dash of dried chipotle chile.

Prepare garnishes: small communal bowls of crumbled cotija or feta cheese, roasted pumpkin seeds, shredded cabbage, and cilantro leaves. Serve soup in large bowls.


Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff