3eme soiree du porc

this recipe is for the weekend, as it takes up a large chunk of your day, but it has a pretty high upside. this is my take on the traditional mexican stew, posole – essentially a pork and hominy stew. i had pork neck bones in the freezer, as well as some pork ribs, and it all went in. i specifically chose cuts of meat with bones, for better flavor, and it definitely paid off – this is a hearty meal, with delicious porky flavor and a bit of sweetness from the corn. in the matchup between pork neck bones and oxtails, the former are a clear winner. for a really cheap cut of meat (granted, most of it is bones), you can’t get more tender meat, with a slight slick of unctuous texture from the neck bones.

i also threw in a bunch of cabbage that was leftover from the pulled pork – i chopped it, sauteed it in bacon fat and pulsed it in the food processor to get it fine enough to go into the posole. it adds body and is healthy, too, with lots of vitamin k and c, and a good amount of dietary fiber. i left the cabbage out of the recipe, but in case you want to add it, i put in about two cups of food processed cabbage at first, then ended up adding the rest in after we’d had maybe a quarter of the stew for dinner, for a total of 1.5 small heads of cabbage.

we had this with cornbread, braised kale (i was distracted, so the kale was pretty bland, but good with the posole), and “guacamole” (insofar as mashed avocados with lime juice can be considered guacamole).
posole

2-3T vegetable oil
3-4 lbs pork neck bones
2 lbs pork ribs (country style, bone-in)

2T olive oil or rendered pork fat
1/2 head of garlic, minced
4 large onions, diced
1 package fresh oregano, chopped

3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 dried pasilla peppers
1 carton of chicken broth
1 carton of beef broth
cabbage (optional)

32 oz canned hominy
zest of 3 limes

1. in a large, not non-stick pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. sear the pork neck bones on each side, in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan. set aside on a plate to rest.

2. add the olive oil or pork fat to the pot, let it heat over medium, and then add the garlic, onions, and oregano. stir together and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the garlic is slightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to make sure the browned bits don’t burn.

3. while the onion mixture is cooking, chop the pasilla peppers and chipotle peppers, and stir in 1/3c of chicken broth. microwave on medium for 2 minutes, then put through a food processor or blender. add this mixture to the onions and let cook a few minutes.

4. add the neck bones back into the onion mixture, and add enough broth to cover the meat. let simmer on medium (turn down the heat if it boils vigorously) for at least an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing burns.

5. remove the pork neck bones and put on a plate in one layer to cool, and put the pork ribs into the broth-onion pot to simmer on medium to medium-low. when the pork neck bones have cooled enough to touch (about 15 minutes), shred the meat off the bones. put the shredded neck meat into the pot and discard the bones.

6. let the mixture in the pot simmer for an hour (45 minutes if you’re in a hurry) and remove the ribs. let cool 15 minutes, or until cool enough to touch, and shred the meat off the bones. return shredded meat to the pot and discard the bones.

7. drain the liquid from the hominy and stir it and the lime zest into the pot. let simmer for at least an hour, until reduced and stewy in consistency.

8. serve immediately with cornbread or rice.

[serves 10-12]

bacon-scallion cornbread

1c cornmeal
1 1/4c flour
1/4c sugar
2t baking powder
1t baking soda

4 slices bacon
1 pkg scallions or 3 large onions
2T chives (optional), chopped

1c buttermilk, or a mixture of yogurt, cream, or milk
3 eggs
6T butter, melted and cooled to room temp
salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9″ square pyrex pan. in a medium bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

2. cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, then remove and drain on paper towels. pour off all of the fat except for 1T; heat on medium and add the scallions or onions. cook the scallions until just wilted, about 10 minutes, or if using the onions, cook until caramelized, about an hour. remove from heat and let cool to room temp.

3. meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. add the butter and whisk together. chop the bacon into bits and stir bacon and scallions into the flour mixture. stir in the chives, if using.

4. add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir just until the mixture is completely combined. scrape into the pan and bake 25-40 minutes, until golden brown on top and a tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering. let cool slightly, then serve.

[serves 6-8]