This week: Pozole Blanco served up by Taco Nazo
¿Como se dice?: It may just be a coincidence that pozole comes in every color of the Mexican flag: Rojo, verde, y blanco. We're of the opinion that there's nothing better than a piping hot bowl of tender pork and hominy, whether it's afloat in a red chile (pozole rojo), tomatillo (pozole verde), or standard stock (pozole blanco).
Sink your teeth into all the spicy details after the jump.
El Sabor: Pozole blanco is this soup at its most basic. The rojo benefits from a slow burn of chiles and the verde's known for its tangy tartness, but pozole blanco is our go-to to judge the merit of how well this soup stands on its own. Slow stewed pork adds a meaty, velvety richness to the broth, and the hominy holds up well, staying crisp and chewy with each spoonful. Garlic packs a flavorful punch in the broth, and onion bits are pungent and slightly sweet. We like to trade off between shoveling it by the spoonful and scooping it up with tortilla pieces and chips.
Bring a bit of México to your kitchen: Pozole's a simple thing to make in your own home, but the secret to a good pozole lies in how flavorful you can make the stock. Trotters (pigs' feet), neck bones, and other porky bits with lots of marrow are how you'll achieve a rich flavor. Don't turn up your nose at these oft neglected bits of the beast, because they're how you make some damn fine pozole blanco. Get crazy with the topping too, like onions, cilantro, avocado, lettuce or cabbage, radishes, limes, chiles, there really is no limit!
Know of any Mexican gems in the Valley? Reveal your family secrets in the comment section.