An Exaltation of Soups (36 page)
Read An Exaltation of Soups Online
Authors: Patricia Solley
Bring the beef stock to a boil in a large soup pot over mediumhigh heat. Add the rice cake slices, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until they are tender and chewy, about 10 minutes. Season the soup with the soy sauce, salt, sliced green onion, chopped garlic, and chile sauce.
O
S
ERVE
Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, evenly distributing the rice cake, meat strips, meat balls, and egg strips. Top each portion with some slices of green onion and the seaweed that has been crushed into a powder, and sprinkle a pinch of cayenne over all.
EXICO
GOOD LUCK SOUP
POZOLE
Serves 6 to 8
Hacer caldo,
or “to make soup,” means to kiss and cuddle
T
RADITIONALLY SERVED IN
Jalisco, Mexico, and in the American Southwest as good luck for the New Year,
pozole
is also commonly served as a special Christmas Eve dish. It’s one of those “poor people foods”—like Indian curry—that ends up knocking your socks off with how the variety of condiments that can accompany it surprise and transform the rich
pozole
base.
Pozole
itself is an old Pueblo treatment of ancient corn, but it was born to make music with Old World pigs in this great and festive stew. There are lots of variations, and all of them wonderful: white
pozole
of pork and corn served with accompaniments. Red
pozole
that includes red chile sauce. Green
pozole
that is made with tomatillos, green chiles, and green herbs. I include here very easy recipes for all three so you can make your choice; each is served with different accompaniments, but all with warm tortillas. And don’t forget to check out the process of making your own hominy from scratch.
OZOLE
J
ALISCO
(W
HITE
)
E
ARTHY AND SWEET
, this rich white version serves as a homey base to support and set off the beauty and flavor of the garnishes.
5 pounds boneless pork, including tenderloin, shoulder, butt, and neck bones (and use at least one split pig’s foot to give the broth a silky, gelatinous texture)
15 cups (3¾ quarts) cold water
1 pound whole white dried corn kernels, made into hominy, (15-ounce) cans hominy, drained
Salt to taste
G
ARNISH
Spicy tomato salsa (chopped tomato, chiles, garlic, cilantro, onion, and lime juice, to your taste)
Thinly sliced radishes
Finely shredded red cabbage
Dried and crumbled oregano
Lime wedges
O
P
REPARE
1. Two days ahead (optional), if you are making the hominy from scratch; see the instructions.
2. Prep the remaining ingredients as directed in the recipe, including the garnish.
O
C
OOK
1. Bring the meats and cold water to a boil in a large soup pot over medium heat and let boil, partially covered, for 1 hour.
2. Add the drained hominy and salt (as much as several tablespoons), reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for another hour.
3. Remove the pork, cut the meat off the bone, and return the meat to the pot, discarding the bones. Cover the pot and let simmer over very low heat for 4 hours.
O
S
ERVE
1. Place the garnishes in individual dishes.
2. Ladle the soup into deep bowls and serve immediately, passing the condiments for your guests to serve themselves.
C
ORN IN
H
ISTORY
Corn was born in the western Sierra Madre of Mexico, a wild plant,
Zea mays ssp. Parviglumis
, that goes back at least 70,000 years. That mama plant went extinct in prehistoric times, but its fortuitous crossing with the related plant
teosinte
survived, and its offspring has been nicely domesticated, for some 3,000 years, into today’s lovely varieties of sweet and popcorn. Even so, domesticated corn is high maintenance, has to be endlessly babied—sown by hand and protected from sprout to reap. Ancient Mesoamerican Indians wore popcorn decoratively in their hair and around their necks, and they brewed a pretty potent popcorn beer.
M
AKE
Y
OUR
O
WN
H
OMINY
*
1 pound whole white dried corn kernels
1 heaping teaspoon unslaked lime (calcium oxide), which you must slake in cold water (see below) or “burn” as Mexicans say, since it sizzles, vaporizes, and heats up. When the action is over, it’s slaked, and it will have a slightly acrid taste or, as the expression goes, “grab your tongue.”
1. Put the dried corn kernels in a large pot, cover with water, and let soak overnight.
2. Drain the corn, discarding the water, then add more water to cover and bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 heaping teaspoon of unslaked lime in 1 cup of cold water until the action subsides, then add it to the boiling corn through a strainer. Let the corn boil for 15 minutes, uncovered, then remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Drain the corn and wash it in several changes of warm water, rubbing the kernels against each other to remove and discard their husks. Rinse one last time, then drain, place in a bowl, and refrigerate, covered, until you are ready to start the soup.
4. To cook, put the kernels in a soup pot with 15 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and let cook uncovered until the kernels puff out into “flowers,” about an hour.
OZOLE
R
OJO
T
HIS VERSION GIVES
the earthiness of
pozole
a profoundly rich bite with the addition of red chile sauce. It pleasantly warms up the back of your throat and there you are, suddenly all busted out in a bit of a sweat. The purple cabbage, red salsa, and white radish garnishes look smashing on the dark brick background of the broth—and here they compete for attention with the flavor and heat of the broth, creating an entirely different culinary experience from eating white
pozole
with the same garnishes.
I
NGREDIENTS FOR
P
OZOLE
J
ALISCO
(
SEE PAGE
191), plus
6 dried ancho or guajillo chile peppers
Boiling water, to cover
6 garlic cloves
P
RAIRIE
W
ISDOM FROM
G
ARRISON
K
EILLOR
“Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn.”
O
P
REPARE
Make Pozole Jalisco, and while the soup is simmering, make the red chile sauce, below.
O
C
OOK
1. Toss the chiles in a hot skillet until they have begun changing color (don’t let them burn!), then remove from the heat and let cool. Cut away the stems and most of the seeds, place in a bowl, and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Puree the chile mixture in a blender with the garlic cloves, then press through a sieve to remove large pieces of skin and seeds.
3. Pour the sauce into the soup and let it simmer until the soup is done.
O
S
ERVE
Proceed as in the last step for Pozole Jalisco, with the same accompaniments.
OZOLE
V
ERDE
G
LORIOUSLY SOUR AND
piquant, Pozole Verde needs creamy avocado, cool cilantro, and crisp pork rinds as a foil for the broth. Somehow this combination of soup and garnish makes the sweetness of the corn positively burst on your tongue with each mouthful.
I
NGREDIENTS FOR
P
OZOLE
J
ALISCO
(
SEE PAGE
191), plus
1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 hot green chile peppers (serrano or jalapeno), seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh epazote,
*
chopped (omit if not available)
Pinch of dried tarragon, crumbled between your fingers
G
ARNISH
Diced avocado
Chopped fresh cilantro
Fried pork rinds
(chicharrons)
O
P
REPARE
1. Make the Pozole Jalisco.
2. Prepare the garnishes and reserve. (You should dice the avocado at the last minute, though, so it doesn’t turn brown.)
3. When the
pozole
has been simmering for 2 hours, puree the tomatillos in a blender with the water.
O
C
OOK
Heat the lard or oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan, then pour in the tomatillo puree and fry for a few minutes, until it is a thick paste. Add the onion, chiles, epazote,
*
and tarragon; stir for a few more minutes, then scrape into the soup, washing the pan out with broth to get every scrap of flavor.
O
S
ERVE
Finalize the garnishes, peeling and chopping the avocado and putting it, the chopped cilantro, and the pork rinds into individual dishes. When the
pozole
is finished, ladle it into deep bowls and pass the garnishes for people to help themselves.
H
OW
C
ORN
W
AS
M
ADE
M
AN
An ancient Mayan document,
Popol Vuh
, tells how Heart-of-Sky and his helpers created the universe. He cried “Water”—and water appeared. He cried “Earth”—and the land was formed. He brought forth a glorious plenty of plants and animals, and it was good … but not so good that Heart-of-Sky was happy. “There is no one to speak my names. There is no one to praise my glory. There is no one to nurture my greatness….” And Heart-of-Sky tries again. Tries to make a giver of respect. Tries to make a giver of praise.
Heart-of-Sky tries to make men of mud, but they speak nonsense, so he lets them melt away in the rain. He tries to make men of wood, but they’re brainless and soulless. Finally he turns to the most precious material on Earth: he makes four men from the finest white and yellow cornmeal. At last, he has made creatures that are wise and noble. He is happy, but not for long. When he realizes they are too wise, he covers their eyes with a veil so they cannot see too far. He puts them to sleep and creates four women to keep them busy. When they wake, these new corn people watch the first sunrise on Earth.