While White Chili has been the rage in the recipe world for the past few years, there’s another warm autumn stew with a Mexican accent that has equal merit. Pazole Blanco, with its combination of chicken, pork and hominy is an earthy cold weather main dish stew. Made spicy with dried crushed red pepper flakes instead of White Chili’s diced green chilies, and made with hominy rather than white beans, it has an alluring, almost mysterious flavor.
I first sampled Pazole at the home of Ron and Eunice Fenchak, friends who had learned how to prepare the Southwestern dish while living in Arizona. Their version was labor-intensive, requiring the long simmering of both a whole chicken and a pork roast.
I’ve decreased the preparation time without sacrificing much flavor. Diced chicken breast meat and pork chops replace the larger pieces of meat, and prepared low-sodium chicken broth replaces the homemade stock used in the Fenchak’s version.
Garnishes of shredded lettuce, diced tomato and avocado and lime wedges are traditional, and can be added according to each guest’s preferences. Begin your meal with a salad of mixed greens topped with citrus sections and a sweet-and-sour dressing, and add some corn muffins, tortilla chips or rolls to round out the menu.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half, diced
- 1 pound lean boneless pork chops, diced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon pressed or minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15.5-ounce can golden hominy, rinsed and drained
- Shredded lettuce, for garnish
- Sliced limes, for garnish
- Diced tomatoes, for garnish
- Peeled and quarter avocado, for garnish
Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add chicken and pork pieces and brown, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper and sauté until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in hominy and simmer 10 minutes more.
Serve in bowls, adding garnishes, as desired.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
