22000days

[22000days]

Christmas Pozole

On this years menu, I bring to the table Pozole. When I think of family time at the holidays, Pozole has a seat. This is because 1) it's damn easy to prepare ahead of time and 2) it can feed as many as you're hosting with minimal additional time. The limiting factor here may simply be the size of the vessel you choose to cook it in.

If you're new to Pozole - it's a traditional Mexican soup that is often served during special occasions, such as Christmas. It is made with hominy, a type of corn that has been treated with an alkali solution, and a variety of meats - traditionally pork. Chicken, beef, and lamb is also acceptable if you have a preference. Pozole is seasoned with a blend of spices and chilies, and it is typically served with a variety of garnishes, such as shredded cabbage, diced onions, sliced radishes, and fresh cilantro.

One of the great things about pozole is that it tastes even better the longer it is simmered, as the flavors have more time to meld together and intensify. This happens because of fat from the cut of meat. This makes it a perfect dish to prepare in advance, as it can be made, say, first thing in the morning, or the night before and allowed to simmer slowly on the stove or in a slow cooker between 8 and 48 hours. It takes about 30 minutes in total prep including garnish and clean up.

It's important to note that recipes are meant to be adapted to your own personal preferences and the ingredients that you have on hand. I'll write a larger post on this some day, but for now I want to simply say that recipes are just another persons idea - I'll be here to encourage you to have your own ideas. I am not the Pozole king - I am simply another Latino. Feel free to experiment with different meats, vegetables, and spices to find the combination that you enjoy. You can also adjust the level of heat in the soup by using more or less chilies.

Here's everything I'm including in my recipe this Christmas, which I suggest serves 4-6.

Soup - 2 lbs of Pork Loin 1 Onion 1 Garlic Bulb 3 cups of Veggie Stock 12 Chiles de Arbol 1 can of Crushed Tomato 1 30 oz can of Hominy (Drain it) Oregano Cloves Salt + Peppercorns

Garnish - Cabbage Raddish Crema Tostadas

My Game Plan - 1) Cut that pork into large bite size chunks. Remember the pork shrinks while cooking. Toss the pork into your soup pot of choice - my stock pot w/ liter measurements on the inside serves me here.

2) Dad-chop the onion - think large pieces. Crush and peel the garlic. Add half in the pot. The other half is used in step 5.

3) Add in the stock. Sub with water so that the pork is submerged about an inch. This is nearly the entirety of the soup base. In total, this was about 6 cups of liquid. Add a lil salt - 1.5 teaspoons? Turn on the pot - the intention of simmering starts now.

4) In a separate, smaller pot, boil about 3 cups of water, enough to submerge the chilis for 5-7 minutes. The point of this step is to rehydrate and soften said chilis. Drain when you feel it's appropriate.

5) We're going to blend the chilis, the remaining garlic, onion, the tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of the hominy. I accomplished this via an immersion blender, but it could also be a food processor, or hell - a knife if necessary. Simply blend as much as your heart desires.

6) Add the blend to this soup pot. Add in oregano and cloves - probably 2x as much I'd expect. Mix it all together.

7) Simmer it all until meal time. Don't forget those garnish when this time comes. :'~)

Merry Christmas.

[22000days]

Christmas Eve

This year I've found myself mid-experience, thinking how many more opportunities I will have to do just this again. Often in that moment, I feel like I'm unable to express enough gratitude for the opportunity. This becomes a guilt, but, not a strong enough guilt for myself to then act in another way.

See, I strive to look forward. The past, well, I've viewed it as having little to gleam - I can't alter that past. Potentially, I first developed this way of thinking playing chess. The future - these possibilities are endless.

And with this forward thought, well, I don't believe I'm doing my future self a service. Right now, I am utilizing my time with activities I enjoy. Each piece here, I believe will add compounding value when I want to make time for review.

Let's say we each have 60 years ahead of us - 22,000 sunsets. There's only so many marathons my body will be able to handle. There's bicycle routes I rode this year that I'll probably never ride again. The remaining amount of hours I'll spend with my Grandma before we're gone is a fraction from a week of my childhood summer.

This space, I wish to be a log of these remaining experiences for myself to look back on.

Love Always, 22000