Green Chile Posole

Thirty-nine years old as of Saturday, February 14th. Valentine's Day. My mother called first thing in the morning and said "I knew when you were born that you were special" and I said "Or it was a coincidence" and she said "It's not a coincidence when it happens twice" and I said "Once, Ma, it happened once" and she said "I had a feeling before you were born." This is our birthday conversation every year. It will not change. I love it exactly as it is.

Lisa made posole for my birthday dinner because posole is my request every year. Green chile posole, her version, which she started making independently about four years ago and which is now genuinely hers — she adds a thing I don't add, a charred tomatillo or two, which gives it a smokiness that improves it without changing the character. I haven't told her I noticed until now, which means she'll read this blog post and discover that I've been eating her improvement for four years without acknowledging it. Guilty. It's excellent posole.

Diego (10), Sofia (8), Marco and Elena (4) gave me cards. Diego's card said "You're the best coach I know and also the best dad, in that order." Sofia wrote in neat cursive: "Happy birthday Dad. I love you very much." The twins collaborated on a joint card that had a drawing of what appeared to be a grill, which I found more meaningful than anything else. They know their father.

Thirty-nine. My brother would have been thirty-three. My father is seventy-six. My mother is seventy-two. My wife is forty-six. My kids are ten, eight, four, four. I am in the middle of the line, not young, not old, the generation doing the work, cooking the food, carrying what needs to be carried, standing at the grill in February because this is what I do and who I am. I'll take it.

So here it is — Lisa’s posole, the one she’s been quietly improving for four years while I pretended not to notice. The charred tomatillos are the move. I’m putting it down in writing now because thirty-nine feels like the right age to stop keeping good things to yourself, and because if you’re going to stand in the middle of the line and do the work, you should at least have a bowl of something worth eating at the end of the night.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (25 ounces each) white hominy, drained and rinsed
6 cups chicken broth
1 pound tomatillos (about 6 medium), husked and rinsed
4 poblano peppers
2 jalapeño peppers
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems and leaves separated
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Juice of 2 limes

For serving:

Shredded cabbage
Sliced radishes
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
Warm corn tortillas
Crumbled cotija cheese
Dried chile flakes (optional)

Instructions

Char the tomatillos and peppers. Set the broiler to high. Place the tomatillos, poblanos, and jalapeños on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes, turning once, until blistered and charred in spots. Let cool slightly. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers. Set aside.
Brown the pork. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the pork on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
Blend the green chile sauce. In a blender, combine the charred tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeños, cilantro stems, and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Blend until smooth.
Simmer the posole. Return the pork and any juices to the pot. Pour in the green chile sauce and the remaining 5 cups of broth. Add the drained hominy. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the pork is very tender and the broth is flavorful.
Finish and season. Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves. Taste and adjust with more salt as needed.
Serve. Ladle into deep bowls and let everyone add their own toppings — cabbage, radishes, avocado, lime, cotija, and chile flakes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Green Chile Posole — The Birthday Soup That Never Changes (Except When It Does)