Pozole Verde

Pozole is Mexico's great comfort dish — a deep, hearty stew built around hominy and slow-cooked pork, finished with a vivid green sauce made from tomatillos and roasted chilies. It's served at celebrations, after long nights out, and on Sundays when nothing else will do.

What is hominy? Dried maize kernels that have been soaked in an alkaline solution, which makes them puff up and taste nuttier than regular corn. You'll find canned hominy in the world foods aisle.

What you need

For the stew

• 1.5kg (3½ lb) pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
• 3 cups chicken or beef stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 x 400g cans hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

For the verde sauce

• 750g tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 poblano chilies, halved, seeds removed
• 2 jalapeños, seeds removed
• 1 serrano pepper, seeds removed (optional)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• Large handful fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 cup pork cooking broth

To serve

• Radishes, thinly sliced
• ½ small green cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• Fresh cilantro
• Tortilla chips

How to make it

1. Brown the pork Season the pork generously all over. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown in batches, getting a good dark colour on all sides, 6–8 minutes per batch. Set aside.

2. Slow cook Return all pork to the pot. Add stock, water, bay leaves and onion. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cover with lid slightly ajar and cook for 1½ hours until the pork pulls apart easily.

3. Make the verde sauce Add all sauce ingredients to a blender with a cup of hot pork broth. Blitz until smooth. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, pour in the verde sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes until it darkens to a deeper green. Set aside.

4. Finish the stew Lift out the pork and shred with two forks. Skim fat from the broth. Remove bay leaves. Return pork to the pot, add verde sauce and drained hominy. Stir, cover, and simmer for 30 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

5. Serve Ladle into deep bowls. Put toppings in the middle of the table and let people build their own. Squeeze lime over everything.

Good to know

• Keeps in the fridge for 4 days, freezes well
• Verde sauce can be made a day ahead
• Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes in a papery husk — peel and rinse before using