Pozole, menudo... and cultural confusion

I'm busy preparing pozole and menudo to freeze and then use on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Being of Mexican descent, I take pride in preparing such traditional foods. But also being of European descent, I don't always get it right.

It's sort of like when I'm asked to fill out forms requiring me to state whether I'm Hispanic or Anglo. I find having to “choose one” to be very confusing because I'm Anglo on my dad's side of the family and Hispanic on my mom's side.

That confusion apparently affects my cooking expertise. I once botched a pot of pozole by using ham hocks instead of pork feet in the recipe.

I had never eaten pozole until I was an adult, when I learned that pozole means different things to different people, which further added to my confusion.

Pozole is a Mexican stew made with hominy — most everyone agrees with that — but the other ingredients may vary somewhat. Some folks say pork and hominy stew is pozole, while others say pinto beans and hominy stew is pozole.

There are still others who insist that pozole is made with hominy, pinto beans and pork and/or chicken. Sometimes the broth is clear, and sometimes it includes red chile sauce. Other times, green chiles are added to the stew.

No matter how it's made, the flavor of pozole is always enhanced by a garnish of shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped green onion and cilantro and fresh lemon or lime juice.

The first time I tried pozole, it was a stew made with hominy and pinto beans. It was okay.

The second time I tried pozole, it was a rich, delicious pork and hominy stew, and pork feet had been used in the recipe. That's where the white girl in me got lost in the details.

I tried making a pot of pork and hominy pozole for a large family of dear friends who were visiting from Gila Bend, but instead of using pork feet, I used ham hocks.

Now, that huge pot of smoky flavored hominy soup I made was so good that my friends, the Gonzalezes, ate every bit of it. They came back for seconds, and some even had third helpings.

But do you think they commended me on the tasty soup I had lovingly prepared for them on that day 20 years ago? No.

Whenever I see them, they invariably say something along these lines: “Hey, Nancy! Remember when you made that Okie pozole with ham hocks?” Or, “Will you make us some of your white girl ham hock soup?”

Since that fateful ham hock-filled day, I have learned to make darn good pozole with no feet or hocks of any kind. I use pork neck bones, hominy, red chile sauce, herbs and spices — a simple recipe that's included with this column.

The Internet abounds with stories of pozole having originated with the Aztecs, who allegedly prepared it with the meat from human sacrifices and served it during rituals to appease the gods. My friends, the Gonzalezes from Gila Bend, should at least be happy that I used ham hocks and not human meat in mine.

Nowadays, pozole is traditionally served during festive times such as Christmas Eve, birthdays and weddings.

Another Mexican stew, menudo, is also made with hominy and traditionally served on special occasions, perhaps most notably on New Year's Eve.

In addition to hominy, beef tripe (and sometimes beef feet) is used in the preparation of menudo, which has long been hailed as a hangover cure. Variations include white menudo and red menudo, the latter of which is prepared with the addition of red chile sauce.

But some people can't stomach menudo because either the tripe may not have been cooked properly and had a slimy texture, or because the idea of eating a cow's stomach just sounds gross.

My Aunt Molly from the Anglo side of the family is one such person. She once said, “Why eat menudo when you can eat dirt?” She has apparently never been drunk.

The claim of menudo as a hangover cure may be in response to the fact that menudo prepared with beef feet has a very gelatinous quality that adds to the richness of the broth.

Plus, a steaming bowl of menudo is usually served with a generous squirt of lemon or lime juice, dried chiles and oregano, and chopped green onion and cilantro, all of which are good for alleviating symptoms of the common cold, allergies and sinus problems. So it stands to reason that menudo would offer effective relief for a hangover.

A recipe for menudo is also included here — but beware, the tripe has an unpleasant odor when it begins to cook. Most people I know cook theirs outside on wood stoves or gas grills.

For readers who don't care to make the recipes but who still want to sample the stews, many local Mexican restaurants make great variations of both menudo and pozole.

Pozole

3 lbs. pork neck bones

Water

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 small white onion, minced

1 or 2 bay leaves

Salt, Mexican oregano and cumin, to taste

1 16-oz. can Mexican-style hominy

1 8-oz. can red chile sauce (mild)

1 bunch radishes, sliced

3 bunches green onions, chopped

3 bunches cilantro chopped

4 or 5 small lemons or limes, cut in wedges

1 head green cabbage, shredded

In a large pot, combine pork, garlic, white onion, and spices. Cover with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover with lid and gently simmer on low heat for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove pork from pot, cool and separate meat from bones. Discard bones and return meat to pot.

Drain hominy in colander, rinse and drain again. Add hominy to pot. Add a small amount of red chile sauce at a time, and then taste. Repeat until desired flavor is reached. Simmer all ingredients on low heat for about 45 minutes.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice into stew and garnish with desired amount of the fresh ingredients. Serve with toasted bread or warm tortillas.

Menudo

Recipe is for white menudo. For the red version, add red chile sauce from can, to taste.

3 lbs. beef tripe and feet, cubed (can purchase already cut at butcher shop)

Water

4 or 5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large yellow onion, diced.

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

2 16-oz. cans Mexican-style hominy, rinsed and drained

3 bunches green onions, chopped

3 bunches cilantro, chopped

4 or 5 small lemons or limes, cut in wedges

1 or 2 packages of menudo mix (dried chilies, oregano and spices)

Place tripe and feet in a large pot. Cover with water, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Drain water away in colander over sink. Add fresh water to cover ingredients in pot, bring to boil once again, reduce heat and gently simmer for about 4 hours. Add hominy and simmer an additional 2 hours. (If making red menudo, add red chile sauce a little at a time until desired flavor is attained.) During last hour of cooking, add garlic, yellow onion, salt and oregano.

Serve in bowls with a generous squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a sprinkle of menudo mix. Garnish with chopped onion and cilantro and serve with toasted bread or warm tortillas.