About the Recipe
In this episode, actor and director Griffin Dunne talk about food, family, and the memories that come from childhood meals to passing it down to his own children. Dunne describes this soup served by his mother’s Mexican family as being the go-to comfort meal choice throughout his life. All the food groups are represented, and the dish has been refined by his grown daughter since he first introduced it to her. Feel free to take a swing at your version of this basic recipe.
Ingredients
1 1⁄2lbs pork shoulder
2 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1tablespoon cumin powder
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons california chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon oregano
4 cups canned white hominy, drained and rinsed
3 -5 cups pork broth, from cooking pork shoulder
1 cup canned diced green chilis (optional)
2 whole fresh jalapeños, chopped (optional)
3 whole ancho chilies, seeded and stemmed (garnish) (optional)
Preparation
This recipe requires a simple prep.
Prepare the onion, peel the garlic, chop the onion, peel and chop the 2 garlic cloves, chop the green chilies and jalapenos if you are using them and get the hominy drained and rinsed.
I boil my ancho chilies in a separate small pot for the garnish part(read below).
Now you are ready to cook.
Place the meat in a large saucepan and just cover with lightly salted water.
Add 1/2 chopped onion, the 2 cloves peeled garlic, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, skim off any foam that rises, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove meat and broth, reserving both.
Saute the remaining chopped onion and garlic in oil until translucent.
Add the remaining spices, stir for a minute.
Cut the reserved pork into 1 inch cubes and add to the pan.
Stir in the canned hominy, pork broth (if there is not enough pork broth, add chicken stock, I like to add it anyway for flavor, about 2-4 cups, eyeball the amount you like), green chilies and jalapenos (optional).
Cook at a simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat and hominy are tender.
If necessary, cook for up to an additional 60 minutes until the chilies and onions are well blended into the broth.
Degrease the stew, taste for salt, and serve in soup bowls.
This is a delicious recipe and well worth the effort to make.
Garnishes that are always served with are:
lots of lime/lemon wedges.
sliced radishes.
chopped cilantro.
Shredded cabbage (not red).
fresh/ packaged fried corn tortillas.
When my ancho chilies are soft from boiling (takes about 15 minutes), then I put them in the blender with 1 1/2cups of water, 1 clove of garlic and about 2 tablespoons diced onion, and about 1 tablespoons of salt and pepper. I blend this thin, then strain it to get the liquid separated from its "pulp". I throw the pulp into the soup for the flavor i like but you can discard if too spicy for you. The remaining liquid you put in a serving dish for guests to add in their own bowl, if desired. Beware! It's HOT!