Posole Rojo — The First Bowl That Tells Your Body the Holidays Have Arrived

December approaches and the tamale countdown begins. My mom called with final preparations: the tamalada is December 9th and 10th, sixteen dozen planned, and she's adding a new filling this year — mole negro. She's been making the mole for three days already. Mole negro has approximately thirty-two ingredients and takes longer to prepare than a space shuttle launch. Elena is in her element. The kitchen in the Maryvale house smells like dried chiles and chocolate and purpose.

Jessica is fully in holiday mode. The house is decorated — lights on the roofline (which I put up on my off day while Jessica directed from the ground like an air traffic controller), a tree in the living room (fake, because we live in Arizona and fresh trees dry out and become fire hazards, which I pointed out and Jessica accepted because she cannot argue with a firefighter about fire), and stockings hung on the fireplace that we don't use because it's Phoenix and fireplaces in Phoenix are decorative lies.

Diego is four months old and has discovered volume. Not the concept — he's been loud since birth — but the control of it. He can now modulate his voice from a whisper (rare, precious, usually right before sleep) to a shriek (common, devastating, usually when he's bored or hungry or exists). The shriek is a new development that coincides with his discovery that sound travels. He shrieks, the sound goes somewhere, people respond. He has learned cause and effect. We are in trouble.

Sofia is excited about Christmas in the way that three-year-olds are excited about everything: totally, completely, with no sense of proportion. She wants presents. She doesn't care what presents — the concept of presents is sufficient. She asked me if Santa is real and I said "yes" because she's three and three-year-olds deserve magic, and because I remember being three and believing in things bigger than me and how important that was. She'll learn the truth someday. Today is not that day.

Made a test batch of posole rojo this week — the December food, the holiday signal. Hominy, pork, dried red chiles (guajillo and ancho), garlic, oregano, cumin. Simmered for three hours. Served with shredded cabbage, radishes, oregano, and lime. The first bowl of posole in December is like the first note of a Christmas carol: it tells your body the holidays have arrived. Jessica tasted it and said "it's that time" and she was right. It's that time. The best time. The time of tamales and posole and family and the slow, sweet slide toward the end of one year and the beginning of another.

With the tamalada locked in for December 9th and my mom already three days deep into her thirty-two-ingredient mole negro, I needed my own opening act for the season. That’s what posole rojo is in our house — the first signal, the starter pistol. One pot on the stove, the kitchen filling up with dried chile and garlic, and suddenly it’s real: the holidays are here. Here’s the recipe that got Jessica to say “it’s that time,” and she was right.

Posole Rojo

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 large white onion, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 cups water
• 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cans (29 ounces each) hominy, drained and rinsed

For Serving

• Shredded green cabbage
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Dried Mexican oregano
• Lime wedges
• Diced white onion
• Crushed tostadas or tortilla chips
• Sliced avocado
• Dried chile flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Simmer the pork. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the pork shoulder, quartered onion, garlic cloves, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the pork is very tender and pulls apart easily.
2. Toast and soak the chiles. While the pork simmers, heat a dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 30 seconds per side, pressing them flat with a spatula, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Transfer to a bowl, cover with very hot water, and soak for 20 to 30 minutes until softened.
3. Blend the chile sauce. Drain the chiles, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid. Add the softened chiles to a blender along with the reserved soaking liquid, oregano, and cumin. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with a spoon to extract all the sauce. Discard the solids.
4. Shred the pork. Remove the pork from the broth and transfer to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves, peppercorns, and onion pieces from the broth. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces using two forks, discarding any bones or large pieces of fat.
5. Build the posole. Return the shredded pork to the broth. Stir in the chile sauce and the drained hominy. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors meld. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
6. Serve. Ladle the posole into deep bowls. Set out the toppings — cabbage, radishes, oregano, lime wedges, diced onion, tostadas, and avocado — and let everyone build their own bowl.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 890mg