Profane Pozole

Ingredients:

• 5 large, dried chilies (ancho, guajillo, whatever) *
• 2 C. warm water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• Oil for sautéing
• 1 1/2 C. cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 can (29 oz.) hominy **
• 1 Tbsp. oregano (Mexican if possible*)
• 2 Tsp. ground cumin
• 5 C. vegetable stock
• 1 Tsp. maple syrup
• 1/8-1/4 C. lime juice
• Chili toppings (optional)

Instructions:

1. Break open the chilies and dump out the seeds.
   1. If the chilies are dry enough, just break into pieces.  If they’re too pliable, just cut them into pieces using your kitchen shears.
2. Toss into a pot over medium heat, tossing/stirring constantly, until you can smell them.
3. Dump chilies into a heat-proof bowl and cover with the warm water and allow them to rehydrate – about 10 minutes.
4. Put the chilies, their soaking water, the cocoa, and garlic into the blender.  Blend until smooth.
5. Put the pot back over medium heat and sauté the onions for 2 minutes.
6. Add the garbanzo beans and cook until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the zucchini, hominy, soy sauce, oregano, cumin, and the chilie paste from the blender.  Stir.
8. Add the vegetable stock and bring it up to a simmer.  Drop the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
9. Add the lime juice and maple syrup to taste.  Serve with any traditional or non-traditional chili toppings you see fit.

* You can find MOUNTAINS of this stuff at your local Mexican/Latin grocery.  Probably with some magnificently fresh corn tortillas too.

Cook’s Notes:

Pretty simple, comes together really fast, and is a *#@(&@$ delicious winter “chili.”  For the kid, who isn’t quite up to spicy things, I added some yogurt and cotija cheese to mild it down, but she loved it.  We served it with warm corn tortillas, sliced cabbage, and some of the pickled onions from the Tofu Pibil.

Based on: “Pozole Rojo” from the Thug Kitchen Cookbook.