Just like millions of people, I am hurried, hassled, harried, and behind schedule. And responsible for figuring out what’s for dinner every night. My entire growing up life, dinner was totally cooked from scratch by Mom, and the entire family sat down and ate together at 6:00, no exceptions. There was no such thing as a “picky” eater, not liking what was served, not cleaning your plate, or not complimenting the food. In those days, in rural farm families, that is just how life was. There was no other way. Well, in these days, like possibly most women, I go to work all day. My hours are not predictable or consistent, and frequently I get home later than I like with no time to fix a dinner the way I prefer. That happened last night. I was going to get home at around 5:30 ish, and we really like to eat at 6:00. The ace up my sleeve was the fact that, the day before I had put an enormous pork roast in the crock pot. Whenever the local grocery store has a sale on big roasts, chicken, salmon, I get one, cook it, and freeze portions for later use. As I drove home I wondered what I could fix FAST with that pork roast. Posole ( also spelled Pozole). This is a characteristically New Mexican soup. Made traditionally, it takes quite a while and is a fairly involved dish involving New Mexico red chile pods and lots of steps. I was in a big hurry, and substitutions that taste great are my strength. A true, died-in-the-wool New Mexico Posole aficionado might scoff at mine because of the substitutions. However, some evening when that person is waaay behind schedule, she just might make it my way and pass it off as her more involved dish. Here is my quick, in-a-crunch Posole. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Ingredients
- Approx. a pound cooked pork roast, cut up/shredded
- One 25-ounce can white hominy
- One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- One 19-ounce can enchilada sauce
- One medium onion, minced
- Two large garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
- Chicken broth (enough to make a soup that is more on the thick than brothy side)
- About a Tbs. cilantro
- About a Tbs. cumin
Instructions
Put all ingredients in large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you have time before you serve dinner. If you have a lime, quarter it and squeeze a quarter over each bowl.
