Posole (and the dry bean)

my wife's coworker lost (or is losing?) a family member. my wife asked me to make my green chicken posole.

i dug out all my leftover frozen chicken carcasses and got to work. it came out good. and she ran a couple of tubs over to the family.

i used canned hominy, and that got my brain going. why am i not using a dried alkaline treated product? i have the time. i think the dried product helps thicken the soup (i could be wrong)

one of my coworkers asked me.."have you checked out that store in NAPA CA?"

i just googled it. they have a plethora of heirloom beans, and yes..nixtamalized hominy!! not only did i learn a new word..i just saw that there are a lot of bean varieties out there?

any stand outs i must try?

i am gonna take posole to the next level..

is this a passaround or what?

cheflivengood said:

is this a passaround or what?

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Huh?

Can you find frozen pozole where is that you live? It's totally legit, unlike the canned stuff, which is inedible. I live in New Mexico where frozen is, not surprisingly, ubiquitous.

I have no comment on beans, except that they're not a traditional ingredient in pozole. Not that that should stop you.

boomchakabowwow said:

Huh?

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I think chef is jokingly being hopeful

brianh said:

I think chef is jokingly being hopeful

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I’d send a bag in a hot second!

sign me up

brianh said:

I think chef is jokingly being hopeful

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lol This is true

boomchakabowwow said:

"have you checked out that store in NAPA CA?"

i just saw that there are a lot of bean varieties out there?

any stand outs i must try?

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All of the Rancho Gordo beans are good.

Try the XOXOC project heirloom varieties from Mexico: Moro, Rebosero, San Francisco.

I also like the Cranberry/Borlotti, Royal Corona, Rio Zape and cassoulet.

If you're into vinegars, the banana vinegar is really nice.

So is the crimson popcorn.

you should get fresh beans from farmers market or visit a farm?

to summarize.

WAY BETTER!! not the same magnitude of say, canned Ravioli compared to fresh..but along those same lines.

canned hominy is way softer, and the flavor is muted. compared to the dry stuff; the corn-nuttiness flavor is so amped up. cooked slow, they blow up and kinda explode like a dense popcorn. the texture is stiffer..more tooth-feel. when i poured the dry posole out into the metal bowl, my entire kitchen smelled like a corn tortilla. i think you do lose some flavor in the cooking liquid. i think making the chicken stock with the posole would work but that fishing expedition to pull out the bones would be a PIA.

i took a think out of the polenta playbook for cooking. i added a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water. i was told it helps break down the skin in cooking.