TBT: I'VE GOT AN OLD ONE FOR YA...

Throw Back Thursday... I've got an old one for you. A father tomato, a mother tomato and their toddler tomato are out for a walk one Sunday. The park is very busy that day. The mother tomato is trying to to keep an eye on the young one and reminding him he is going to get separated if he continually stops  to pick things up. He keeps lagging farther and farther behind. The father tomato is becoming more and more impatient and is tired of his child not listening. He has had it so he turns around walks back  and stomps his foot on top of his child and yells : " Ketchup." ( Catch up) 

Sorry, I know that was bad, but this is what's going to happen to the tomatillos ( small green tomatoes) used in this Mexican stew/soup recipe I'm sharing today. They are going to get smashed up to make a salsa otherwise known as Ketchup by using a blender. This is one of my most favorite soups, Pozole Verde. I inherited some beautiful tomatillos this week from FB friend Paul who lives down the road a piece.He could say he has a million of them, tomatillos that is and probably jokes too... I promised to share this recipe from Food and Wine's January 30th, 2018 issue. Now you too can enjoy it.

"There are many variations on pozole, a traditional hominy-based Mexican stew closely associated with the Pacific-coast state of Guerrero. Anya von Bremzen's version, a green pozole, derives much of its flavor from tangy ingredients like tomatillos, cilantro and green chiles."  

Ingredients

• 7 c chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 c water
• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 sm onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and quartered
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
• 4 lg garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 1 T oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Three 15-oz cans of hominy, drained and rinsed
Finely shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving

Step 1    

In large, enameled cast-iron casserole, bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Add chicken breasts, skin side down, cover and simmer over very low heat until tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to plate and shred  meat; discard bones and skin. Skim fat from cooking liquid and reserve.

Step 2    

In a blender, combine halved tomatillos with quartered onion, poblanos and jalapeños, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the side. With the machine on, add 1 c of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.

Step 3    

In lg deep skillet, heat vegetable oil until shimmering. Add tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.

Step 4    

Pour green sauce into cooking liquid in  casserole. Add hominy and bring to simmer over moderate heat. Add shredded chicken to stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through. Serve the pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table.

Make Ahead

The pozole verde can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated, covered, overnight.

Suggested Pairing

Because the dominant flavors are lightly spicy and tart, a rich but unoaked white wine will pair well; consider a smooth Alsace Pinot Gris.

FINI... ALL GONE

With the arctic temps making being outside like living in a freezer, a nice hot soup soup like Pozole Verde sounded 'perfecto' for a winter evening meal. It's a hearty soup with a bit of a kick which you can kick up /down.

Tomatillo in front of kitchen window before moving inside

The verde/ green part of the soup is tomatillos that have been been blended with the herbs and onion. In fact, you may remember I had moved our first successful tomatillo plant inside with the first frost as it was far from done bearing fruit. The tomatillos with their paper like husks had started falling off and were awaiting being made into a salsa/something. It turned out there was just enough fruit to make into a nice big pot of chicken pozole.

Ours were not large in size but one pound was all that was  needed for blending

Besides the fresh tomatillos, home grown herbs of cuban oregano, garlic (thanks to the neighbor) from our freezer wh had poblanos, cilantro, chicken stock and local organic chicken breasts. So all we lacked was the hominy (white corn), radishes and limes which were easy to obtain on a trip into town earlier in the day. 

The soup had just the right amount of heat to warm our cold bones. The side addition of radish is a must but many add avocado, sour cream, chopped onion depending on your personal preferences.

I 've included last night's recipe below although I may have just posted something similar on FB before. I couldn't find it among my blog entries. 

Anyhow, I crave this dish anytime of the year. ENJOY.

Here's Anya von Bremzen's version from Food & Wine
INGREDIENTS

• 7 c chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 c water
• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 1 lb tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 sm onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and quartered
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
• 4 lg garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 1 T oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 3 15-ounce cans of hominy, drained
• Finely shredded  lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• 
  

1. Chicken & Broth 1.In large, enameled cast-iron casserole,bring chicken stock and water  to a boil. 2.Add chicken,skin side down,cover and simmer over very low heat until    tender and cooked (about 25 minutes)3.Transfer chicken to plate and shred; discard bones and skin. 4.Skim fat from cooking liquid and reserve. 
2. 
   Tomatillo Puree1.In blender, combine halved tomatillos with onion, poblanos and jalapeños, smashed garlic, cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped.2. With machine on, add 1 c of cooking liquid, puree until smooth.3.Season puree with salt and pepper. 
3. 4.In large deep skillet, heat vegetable oil until shimmering. Add  tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes. 
4. 5.Pour green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. 6.Add  hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. 7.Add shredded chicken to stew, season with salt and pepper.8. Cook just until heated through. 
   Serve pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table. 

*MAKE AHEAD

The pozole verde can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated, covered, overnight.