On a freezing day like today, cook something that will stick to your ribs. One option is the Mexican dish, posole (also spelled pozole).

While Americans eat lots of burritos, enchiladas, tacos and tostadas, not many outside the Southwest are familiar with posole, a dish made from hominy.

Posole means “hominy” in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. It’s a cross between soup and stew (here’s the difference between soup and stew).

Hominy, which is cooked like beans, is made from shelled, dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated with an alkali—lye or lime solution—in a process called nixtamalization, that makes the kernels puff up.

The kernels are then washed to remove the excess solution, the hull, and often the germ. The hominy (photo #3) has a chewy texture and is often likened to the flavor of a corn tortilla.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF POSOLE

The Aztecs believed that humans were made out of masa (cornmeal dough) by the corn gods. Since maize (corn) was a sacred plant for the Aztecs and other Mesoamericans, posole was a special-occasion dish.

There’s a gruesome bit about the origin of the dish, in the footnote* below.

Posole was mentioned in the Florentine Codex by Bernardino de Sahagún, a 16th-century Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer of the Aztec culture.

In modern times, posole remains a beloved dish throughout Mexico. It is considered festive and and is commonly enjoyed for special occasions—Christmas, Independence Day, weddings, etc.—but can also be dished up whenever you feel like it. You’ll find specialty restaurants called pozolerias in Mexico.

The dish is spelled pozole or posole in different parts of the country.
 
 
RECIPE: POSOLE ROJO (RED POSOLE) WITH CHICKEN

This recipe for classic Mexican posole (poe-SO-lay) comes to us from Rancho Gordo, our favorite source for dried artisan beans and related products.

It uses dried hominy. Don’t be tempted to use canned hominy: It cooks up with a rubbery or gummy texture.

Posole Rojo is Mexican comfort food, a stew of shredded pork or chicken and hominy in a red chile broth. Aside from the time it takes to soak and cook the hominy, the recipe is easy to make—and it’s loaded with authentic Mexican flavor.

Posole Verde is made with green chiles. Posole Blanco, has no chiles in the broth but is served with a salsa of manzano chiles on the side.
 
Ingredients For 6-8 Servings

[1] Posole typically is an overnight affair: up to 10 hours to soak the hominy. This recipe from Budget Bites gives you a version that takes just 30 minutes.

[2X] Posole with four garnishes. Here’s the recipe from Food & Wine.

[3] Hominy from heirloom corn, at Anson Mills.

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oil in 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the tomato paste, chile powder and oregano, stirring until all ingredients are warmed through and well mixed.

2. ADD 4 cups water, the broth and the posole. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for half an hour.

3. ADD the chicken, stir, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls with garnishes on the side, so each diner can use his/her favorite toppings.
 

To Cook Dried Posole

1. SORT through and rinse the posole/hominy. Soak from 6 to 10 hours in cold water, then strain. In a large pot…

2. ADD the soaked posole (about 2 cups), 3 quarts of water and a roughly chopped onion. Bring to a hard boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for about 4 hours. The posole will flower, like popcorn, when it’s finished.

3. STRAIN and use in any recipe calling for cooked posole. You can freeze any extra drained, cooked posole.
 
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*Mesoamerican people conducted ritual human sacrifice. Originally, pozole was made from the meat of prisoners whose hearts had been ripped out in ritual sacrifice. After the Spanish conquest in 1519, cannibalism was banned and the meat in the dish was replaced with pork [source].

†New Mexican red chile powder and Mexican oregano are available from RanchoGordo.com.
 

[1] Fried extras with extra dazzle from Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

[2] Spring onions, not to be confused with green onions, a.k.a. scallions (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

How does the great Chef Jean-George Vongerichten enjoy his fried eggs?

With asparagus, bacon and crisp croutons. He recipe is quite simple. Since asparagus isn’t in season, feel free to substitute broccolini, broccoli rabe or green beans.
 
 
RECIPE: JEAN-GEORGE VONGERICHTEN’S FRIED EGGS

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
 
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*Here’s the difference between spring onions, green onions (scallions) and their relatives.
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1. COOK the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to separate the pieces, until golden and the fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. ADD the bread and asparagus and season with a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon and bread are evenly browned and crispy, about 7 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. BREAK the eggs into the pan, letting the whites run together. When the bottom just sets, sprinkle the chili, dill and a small pinch of salt over the eggs. Cook until the white are set and the yolks are runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.
 
 
>>>CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EGGS<<<

It’s the month of good eating resolutions. One of the easiest to follow: add more salads.

Whether it’s a main salad or a side salad, just avoid creamy dressings, stick to vinaigrettes, and you’re set.

One of our favorites is a Greek Salad, so here are some ways to approach it—and get creative ideas for your own favorite salad(s).

Note that while in the U.S. many restaurants serve the Greek salad with romaine lettuce. Lettuce doesn’t grow well in Greece, so at Greek restaurants, an authentic Greek salad, horiatiki, is served without it.
 
 
CLASSIC GREEK SALAD WITH SPIRALIZED CUCUMBER

This salad (photo #1) has classic ingredients with a variation in texture: Get out your spiralizer and spiralize the cucumbers, instead of slicing them.

It adds a fun element with different texture that leads to a slightly different taste experience. Be sure to drain the spiralized cucumbers on paper towels to keep water out of the salad.

Other salad vegetables to spiralize—and one fruit—are apple, beet, bell pepper, carrot, red onion and zucchini/yellow squash.

What about tomatoes? hard to find decent tomatoes in the winter, so look to cherry tomatoes or sundried tomatoes, plumped up in olive oil.

Thanks to The Pampered Chef for this recipe.
 
Ingredients For 8 One-Cup Side Servings Or 3-4 Main Salads

For The Dressing

 
For The Salad

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing: Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.

2. SPIRALIZE the cucumbers. Snip the cucumber noodles occasionally to shorten the strands. Place the cucumbers on paper towels and blot any excess moisture. Allow the excess water to drain prior to assembling the salad.

3. SPIRALIZE the red onion, then cut the spirals in half. Rinse the spirals under water to remove the bite. Drain and set aside.

4. SLICE the tomatoes in half. Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and cheese in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

5. DRIZZLE the mixture with half of the salad dressing and garnish with oregano. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
 
Italian Variation

The two neighboring peninsulas share a number of ingredients, including artichokes, olives and oregano. Their cheeses are different, though, so:

 
 
MORE GREEK SALAD RECIPES

 
Plus

 
 
>>>HERE’S THE HISTORY OF GREEK SALAD<<<
 
 
>>>HERE’S THE HISTORY OF SALAD IN GENERAL<<<

[1] Spiralize your cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, etc. (photo and recipe courtesy The Pampered Chef).

[2] Adapt the style of another favorite salad, the Cobb Salad. Here, the Greek Salad ingredients—feta, olives, onions, tomatoes—substitute for traditional Cobb ingredients—avocado, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and roquefort cheese (photo courtesy The Tuck Rooom | L.A.).

[3] Make your salad sliceable: Use romaine “boats” as the base to be covered with the other ingredients (photo courtesy DeLallo).

[4] Get fancy with this vertical—horiatiki is a Greek salad without the lettuce. The word means village salad or rustic salad (photo courtesy Death Ave | NYC).

[5] Familiar ground: Greek salad in a pita. Here’s the recipe from Girl Versus Dough, using homemade pita.