A warm and hearty (and spicy depending on your preference) way to welcome the New Year in my old home of New Mexico is a big pot of Posole a hearty stew of pork, hominy and chiles which was first documented being eaten by ancient Mexicans during important events or holidays.
According to some scholars the ancient Aztecs posole was an important cultural dish.
Pozole comes from the Nahuatl word pozolli, or posolli, which in English translates to a stew of maíz kernels, according to the Nahuatl Dictionary by the Wired Humanities Projects at the University of Oregon.
Today, you can find a bowl of pozole at many carnicerias or familias’ tables, but it was originally regarded as a meal for the privileged elite of the Aztec empire. A bit similarly to how it’s served today, the dish was often made for special occasions.
For the Mexicas, the Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Aztec Empire, these pozole occasions were to celebrate: gods, good harvests and changing seasons.
In honor of Tláloc, the god of rain and rain deities, Aztecs held a festival during February and March known as Atlcahualo—to usher in the rain needed for planting. Soon after Atlcahualo came the feast of Tlacaxipehualiztli , celebrating the year’s harvest and commemorating how the Mexica obtained and inherited corn from the Toltecs.
@https://familiakitchen.com/history-pozole-a-tale-of-celebration-sacrifice/
In today's kitchens people will consume posole all throughout the year but the tradition of serving it on special occasions remains a tradition and I have always made it a point to make a pot at home to celebrate the New Year.
This year I changed things up a bit with my recipe. Normally I'm a green guy when it comes to my posole in that I use roasted green Hatch chiles in my stew.
However this year I used some rich and smoky red Ancho and Chimayp chiles that I had bought back in New Mexico so I decided to make my 2023 posole Christmas (a mix of red and green chiles) as well as add ground pork and chicken along with my normal diced pork. Since I'm trying to be keto I kept the hominy corn separate.
The meat was slow-cooked with just enough broth to make it an "eat with a fork" stew along with plenty or garlic - then came the ground red chiles. The Anchos are traditional but I love the smoky richness of the Chimayo variety that is grown in the small village of the same name up near Santa Fe, New Mexico (and it's a wonderful place to visit should you ever be in that part of the state)
Then it was time for some wonderful but not too spicy fire-roasdtyed Hatch green chiles. Hatch btw is a small city in southern New Mexico that is famous for it's chile peppers and even has a chile festival in early September and it is said that Hatch chiles make any food even better (yes, even ice cream as well as pies, cookies and liquors).
Then some more slow simmer to let everything blend and meld into a wondrous stew ready to welcome January 1st
Of course my little Lulu had to be the first to give it a try. I tossed in some smoked sausage for her just because she's been such a sweet doggy this year and deserved some extra treats.
Looks like it's a hit with the taste-tester
I guess Lulu can look forward to a good 2023 and we can as well.
It was fun to cook up posole again this year and I hope it brings us kuck and happiness in 2023 and I hope to keep on making this my Newe Years tradition for many years to come.
Here is a recipe for Posole Rojo from the good folks at Chile Pepper Madness. If you're interested in all sorts of spicy dishes from around the world give them a look and check out all of the wonderful recipes on their website.
https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/
