Mexican-inspired pozole

A bold, spicy broth loaded with samp and slow-cooked pork shoulder. Filling and tasty and guaranteed to warm up a winter night in.

Ingredients

For the samp

  • 2 cups samp, soaked overnight
  • 2 litres water
  • 1 tablespoon salt

For the soup

  • 2 kg pork shoulder, deboned and cut into chunks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 jar chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • 3 sprigs fresh origanum, leaves picked

To serve

  • 1 white baby cabbage, finely shredded
  • 6 radishes, finely sliced
  • A handful of coriander
  • 2 limes, quartered
  • 4 flour tortillas, toasted

Method

Samp:

Drain the soaked samp. Place in a large pot, cover with water, and add the salt. Simmer for 1-1.5 hours, or until soft but not mushy. Avoid stirring the samp (this ensures that it doesn’t become mushy), but ensure there is enough water in the pot to prevent the kernels from burning. Drain and set aside.

Soup:

Season the pork chunks generously with salt and pepper. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a pan, brown in batches until golden on all sides. Transfer the pork to a pressure cooker with the onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.

Pressure cook for 1 hour, or until the pork is tender. Carefully remove the pork, shred it with forks, and set aside. Strain the broth into a clean pot and discard the vegetables. In a blender, combine the chipotle peppers with all the adobo sauce, garlic, chopped onion, thyme, and origanum.

Blend into a smooth paste. Stir the chipotle paste into the pork stock and simmer for 10 minutes to deepen the flavour. Add the shredded pork and cooked samp. Stir to combine and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

To serve: Ladle the pozole into large bowls. Top each serving with shredded cabbage, radish slices, fresh coriander, and a wedge of lime. Serve with toasted tortillas.

Serving suggestion: Serve with avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream for extra richness. A cold beer pairs perfectly with this spicy, warming soup.