Crockpot Creamy Christmas Posole

If you’ve ever been to New Mexico at Christmastime, you have probably experienced Posole.  It’s that magical pork-hominy stew that everyone serves during this season, along with tamales and luminarias (candles in paper bags that they line the streets and walkways with). Christmas in New Mexico is enchanting, and the posole is a bowl of spicy comfort that contributes to the festive happy spirits there this time of year.

I have eaten posole on many occasions, but this is, actually, my first attempt at making posole. My children never much cared for the spicy foods that their dad and I both love. I ran across some of the dried hominy at the store and, on a whim, purchased it and decided it is time. I had no idea how long it takes to cook the dried posole — it took a good 4 hours to cook mine, so if you can find it canned, you might want to give that a shot. If not, well, give yourself an extra half day to finish your stew.

There are many different variations on posole, pretty much all of them feature pork, onion, garlic, posole (the hominy) and red chile. I used ground dried red chile, but you can use fresh or frozen red chile peppers. I added a little different twist on mine at the end with some cream cheese and a bit of sweet pepper jelly that I think compliments the flavors of the stew really well. Condiments really aren’t necessary, but you can add them if you wish.

Crockpot Creamy Christmas Posole

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: About 2 1/2 quarts of soup 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 lb. lean pork roast, trimmed of fat & cut into 3/4 inch cubes (or 1/2 lb. pork roast + 1/2 lb. chopped cooked pork sausage)
• 1 onion, peeled & chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 – 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
• 1 pint of canned tomatoes
• 1 quart of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 – 3 Tablespoons dried powdered red chimayo chili peppers
• 3 cups cooked posole, drained (hominy)
• 3 oz. light cream cheese
• 3 Tablespoons pepper jelly
• Fresh cilantro leaves, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the pork pieces. Cook and stir for just a few minutes to sear the meat (till it’s just lightly browned on the outside but still nice and pink on the inside), then pour the meat off into a bowl. Add the onion, celery and garlic, reduce heat and saute for just a few minutes to soften the onion.
2. Pour the meat, onion mixture,tomatoes, broth, spices and posole into your crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. When the pork is tender and the stew is about “done”, break up the cream cheese into little bits and add to the pot along with the pepper jelly. Stir and cover and cook for an hour or so longer to melt the cheese. Stir again to make sure the cheese is melted and mixed in. Add cilantro to taste. Remove the bay leaf. Garnish with avocado, cheese, and cilantro if desired.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at What we Love Wednesdays, Foodie Friends Friday, What to Do Weekends and Create Link Inspire.