Aaron Sanchez made the best Pozole I ever had

Pozole is traditionally made with hominy, a round up corn (maize) that is Indigenously American. The process involves maize such as flint corn soaked in an alkaline solution to dissolve the hard outer layer called the pericarp. That process, nixtamalization, is how corn hominy is made, which is ground into masa for tortillas. We often overlook the fact that Mexican cuisine is a cultural marriage between the colonies and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. I love the fact that I know the difference and can see the influence, whether it be Spain, Portugal, English, or French, and even Dutch origins. I’ve been collecting recipes from my favorite chefs and this one by Aaron Sanchez- known as the “Spicy Chef” by Alex and Daniel is pretty groovy.

 

I went to the ICC Edu culinary demo last week and ran into a few familiar faces. I saw mostly students at the beginning of their culinary journey. I like to call them the “DREAMERS”. The youngnins who are still dreaming of becoming great chefs. I was once one of these guys, waiting to go out into the world and become a great food personality. My level 5 instructor- Chef Ray spoiled us. We used to walk into class with a stovetop full of roundeus filled with beef stock and veal stock all warmed up ready to be reduced by us or already on it’s way. He also prepared our mine en place, brought out the produce, warmed up our pans and it wasn’t until we reached level 6 that we realized he really was spoiling us with this trick. We met our new chef and he just laughed when we asked where everything was. And after graduation, it just got worse or more real.

 

Since I took the styling, photography, and journalism route- I had to really learn how to be self sufficient. My years of working as an assistant humbled me to say the least. Also Private Cheffing means it’s a solo one man show. You buy everything, prep everything, cook everything, and wash the dishes afterwards. Sometimes you need to stay and serve the guests and cleanup afterwards. That’s why these chefs make an average of 100 big G’s a year or more. I did that for about 6 years.

 

I was impressed by Aaron’s knife skills. He chopped an onion in 30 seconds and julienned a radish in 15 seconds. Okay- he definitely knows how to cook! This means he’s a seasoned chef that’s been cooking for a very long time. In fact, thanks to his mother Zarela Martinez- I’ve got the scoop on exactly how long he’s been cooking. He started rotating through all the stations at Zarela’s in his preteen years and eventually staged somewhere. Went to culinary school and published his first cookbook with the help of his mother and grandmother. His food is very different from mama’s, it combines American classics with traditional Mexican and it’s made for a wider audience.

 

Pozole Rojo

Recie by Aarón Sánchez

 

Serves 8

 

One 6-pound boneless pork butt

1 quart chicken stock (low-sodium store-bought is fine)

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Salt

1 teaspoon dried whole oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled

2½ cup Chile Colorado Sauce

Three 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained

 

Garnish

Vegetable oil, for frying

8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

Finely chopped white onion

Thinly sliced radishes

Lime wedges

Dried whole oregano (preferably Mexican)

 

1. Put the pork in a large heavy stockpot or Dutch oven. Add 3 quarts water, the stock, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Stir in the oregano, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, until the pork is tender, about 3 hours.
2. Lift the pork out of the broth onto a cutting board. Shred the pork with two forks and return it to the broth along with the Chile Colorado Sauce and hominy and another teaspoon of salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. While the pozole cooks, line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour ½ inch of vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the surface shimmers but the oil is not smoking (if it is, reduce the heat!), fry the tortilla strips in batches – so you don’t crowd the skillet – just until they’re golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer them to the paper towels to drain and sprinkle them very lightly with salt while they’re still hot.
5. Serve bowls of pozole with the tortilla strips and bowls of onion, radish slices, lime wedges, and oregano and let your guests garnish their own servings.

 

Chile Colorado Sauce

 

Makes 2 quarts

 

3 medium Spanish or white onions, quartered

8 medium fresh tomatillos, husked and washed

4 plum tomatoes, cored and quartered

8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Olive oil, for drizzling

1 ancho chile (½ ounce), stemmed, seeded, and deveined

2 guajillo chiles (½ ounce), stemmed, seeded, and deveined

1 quart chicken stock (low-sodium store-bought is fine)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Put the onion, tomatillos, tomatoes and garlic on a baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Put the baking sheet under the broiler and cook without turning until the vegetables start to get charred, about 7 minutes. Remove, set aside, and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the guajillos, turning them over halfway through, just until they smell great, about 1 minute. Transfer them to a bowl, cover them with hot water and let them soak until they’re soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and discard the soaking water.
4. Combine the vegetables and chiles in a blender with the chicken stock (you’ll have to work in batches) and puree until the mixture is very smooth. Transfer each batch to a bowl as it’s done, and stir the batches together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.