Santa Maria Pozole Verde

It's official: I am in love with this soup.

It's everything you want in a soup: simple, comforting, savory, satisfying, full of scrumptious texture, not too brothy (but just brothy enough) . . . but I digress . . . .

This humble, delicious soup gets its name from the heirloom beans I used here: Santa Maria Pinquitos. They're like the ambitious, clever young cousin of the pinto bean.

Please, oh please, don't judge by appearances. What this soup lacks in visual appeal it more than makes up for in taste.

If you're unfamiliar with pozole or hominy, you're not alone. Growing up in the Midwest, I wasn't introduced to either until I joined the Schroeder ranks in Colorado. And I can bet that you'll be just as won over by the taste and texture of hominy as I was. For me and hominy, it was love at first bite.

Traditional pozole is typically made with pork, hominy, and chiles. This version features the traditional hominy, green chiles, and luscious heirloom beans cooked up in a rich onion-garlic broth (never fear: you can substitute canned pinto beans if you'd like . . . but I highly recommend getting your hands on these beautiful beans if you can! Find them at Rancho Gordo).

This recipe works particularly well with a pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot. If you don't have one, don't despair (and don't leave!). This can be made on the stovetop as well.

If cooking dried beans from scratch, I recommend soaking them for at least 4 hours before cooking and then cooking them "in the Rancho Gordo manner" with the onion and garlic to get all those lovely flavors into the beans.

Final note: let's talk about fiber. If you're not yet used to eating lots of beans in one sitting (meaning, if your gut has trouble handling that much fiber), go easy on this to start. Either serve it alongside some cornbread and a salad (thus having a smaller portion) or cut the amount of beans in half and add in red or yellow potatoes for additional bulk in the soup.

Consuming fiber is like going to the gym. If you haven't lifted much weight, it's going to be rough going until you work your way up . . . but you can work your way up. Increase slowly and over time. Just like going to the gym. For both, the benefits are well worth it!

Finally, look for dried hominy in the ethnic foods aisle of your grocery store (if it's there, it will likely be near the canned green chiles, dried hot peppers, chili powders, etc.). It can also be found online, if need be. And you can used canned if dried is difficult to find. (Note that cooking hominy from dried, like beans, is much tastier than canned, but canned is fine if you need to make the swap. I prefer a brand like Juanita's or when going canned.)

• 12 oz dried hominy

• 1 lb. dried beans* (preferably Santa Maria Pinquitos, or pinto beans)

• filtered water for soaking

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed

• 1 T. salt

• 7 - 8 oz canned green chiles (mild, fire roasted)

• a few dashes of oregano

• optional: hot sauce, cilantro, and lime, to serve

*If you prefer to use canned beans, use four 15-oz cans of pinto beans. Additionally, if you're not used to eating a large amount of beans (and thus fiber) in one sitting, you can opt for reserving 1/2 of the cooked beans for another use (or freezing them in the cooking liquid for another batch of soup) and adding diced potatoes for additional bulk in lieu of that portion of beans.

Ingredients

Santa Maria Pozole Verde

1. Soak the hominy: Rinse and drain the dried hominy, then soak in 4 cups filtered water for 6+ hours (or overnight).

2. Soak the dried beans: Rinse and drain the dried beans and soak in 4 cups filtered water for 4+ hours.

3. Once the beans and hominy have soaked, sauté the aromatics: if using an Instant Pot, use the sauté function to sauté the diced onion until translucent and beginning to soften. Add the pressed garlic and cook a minute or so more. If doing on stovetop, sauté in a large stock pot over medium heat.

4. Cook the beans: Drain the beans Add the soaked beans to the cooking pot, add 5 to 6 cups of water, and cook on high pressure for 10 to 12 minutes* (for Santa Maria Pinquitos). Allow for 15 minutes of natural pressure release before using the quick release. If cooking on stovetop, be sure beans are covered with 2 inches of water. After bringing to a boil and cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 1 to 2 hours, checking for doneness periodically. Cooked beans are tender enough to be smashed with a fork.

   *If using dried pinto beans that have been soaked, cook on high pressure for 4 to 6 minutes. If cooking on stovetop, cook (simmering, covered) for 1 to 1.5 hours. Cooked beans are tender enough to be smashed with a fork.

   *If using canned pinto beans, wait to add them until after the hominy is fully cooked.

5. Once the beans are fully cooked, add 1 T. salt to the cooking pot, stir, and let sit to absorb for 5+ minutes. (If using any combination of canned ingredients, limit the use of salt and read the can labels. Canned beans and hominy likely already have salt added.)

6. Next, use a sieve to strain them from the cooking pot, reserving the cooking liquid in the pot for cooking the hominy (alternatively, place a colander over a large bowl to separate the cooking liquid from the beans and alliums; then return the liquid to the cooking pot).

7. Cook the hominy: Drain the hominy and add it to the reserved cooking liquid from the beans. (All the hominy should be covered. If there is not enough liquid, add more water as needed.) Add a few dashes of oregano. Cook on high pressure for about 35 minutes. Quick release should be fine right away after this. Test for doneness. I like the hominy with a bit of a toothsome bite, like al dente pasta. If it is still hard in the center, cook for a few more minutes until tender. (But you can cook it until it's completely soft, if you prefer. Chef's choice!)

   *If cooking on stovetop, cook the hominy (simmering, covered) for 2 to 3 hours, until tender, but still a bit toothsome, like al dente pasta.

8. Put it all together: Once the hominy is fully cooked, add the beans back to the pot and warm through as needed before serving up. Serve with hot sauce and (optional, but delicious) pumpkin cornbread.

Serves 6 - 8 | Makes about 12 cups

Instructions

May this soup comfort you. Snuggle up. Enjoy.

Last updated: November 24, 2024