Mmmm, Posole.

I started the day with a ton of ambition-husband had to work all day and I felt bad about it, since my whole giant plan today was to make Posole and start rewatching the first season of LOST. (I'm convinced the 6th season will mirror the 1st, so I need a refresher. I'm a nerd, remember?) So I decided to go to the store and get everything for a perfect hubby-friendly-food Sunday.

He's a giant fan of fat-kid breakfast, which I never let him have at home, so I decided I'll attempt one of his favorites...but as I have zero idea what biscuits and gravy are supposed to taste like (or even look like, really), I turned to Paula Deen for help with a recipe. I figured, for once, I could depend on the butter queen for this one. I'm planning Bisquick biscuits and gravy, hash browns, eggs, and bacon. We'll see how it goes.

And I really wanted to do a good Pad Thai for dinner, since he's been wanting Asian food, but I wanted to try Bobby Flay's recipe for it, and Von's doesn't carry tamarind. Ehh...he'll be just as happy going for sushi, and that's one less thing to cook this week. Cause like I said...ambitious. I'm planning on Orange Salmon, Black Bean Quesadillas, Mediterranean Veggie Pizza, and a lemon chicken thing. All new, all to be documented, natch.

And so, after a ginormous shopping trip, I finally found everything I needed, got to the register, and realized my wallet was sitting on my kitchen counter. At home. Siiigh. So the nice girls at Von's bagged up all my stuff, stuck it in the cooler, and waited for me while I drove all the way home and back. All the while feeling like the biggest jackass in the world. Though it did make me feel better that I had made an effort to get cute before going to the store. (The 60 degree weather meant I could wear a mini and my Steve Madden boots, which the female checker got to see twice. Almost worth it.)

But today, this is about soup. I've been wanting Posole, but we haven't been to Las Salsas in awhile, and theirs is the best I've found (though the Posole Verde at Cazuelas Mary on Oak is also fantastic). I love it. It's totally the Mexican version of Pho. A bit spicy, brothy, and total comfort food. So here it is. Personal Posole attempt #2, and soup attempt of the week #3. Took awhile, but it wasn't exactly labor intensive. And turned out infinitely better than my pho attempt, so I'm happy. Let's hope tomorrow morning's fat-kid food attempt goes as well. I also did all the laundry and cleaned up the house, so he's got nothing to do but eat tomorrow...and maybe go get the massages(plural, one for me, too) I gave him for Xmas. Yes, best wife ever. I know.

Posole
About 1.5 lb boneless pork shoulder
Half white onion
Whole onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cloves
olive oil
1 tsp oregano
6 whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp salt
olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Large can hominy, drained and rinsed
Large can diced green chiles
2 cups chicken broth
Chopped cabbage
chopped cilantro
Chopped onion
Lemon wedges

Take the onion half and stick the two cloves deep into the skin. In large stock pot, put pork, onion half, whole garlic, peppercorn, salt, oregano and cumin seeds. Add water til it just covers the meat. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes.

Remove meat and cut into large bite-sized pieces. Pour pork broth into a large bowl. In stock pot, heat a tbsp or so of olive oil, then saute chopped onion and garlic a couple minutes. Add pepper, cumin, cloves and red pepper, mix well. Add hominy, green chiles, pork and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook about two hours. Add more salt and/or red pepper to taste.

Garnish with cabbage, cilantro, onion, and lots of lemon. Goes great with warm tortillas and cold tequila. About 8 servings. About 370 cals, 10g fat, 7g fiber, 30g protein, 37g carbs.