I love food traditions. Things that you start and keep or things that you’ve carried down from generation to generation. This one is something that we created together. My husband and I, bringing our families together after 13 1/2 years of wandering in the desert. 

 

When we got married in 2020, we instituted this New Year’s Day meal into our repertoire to represent the symphony or our chaotic lives. That is our cultural backgrounds, Mexican, American, and Middle Eastern, the fusing of a family of 7 and all the smells and sounds that come with it. Because no matter what the day looks like, or the desperation of the world around us, the food is the glue that holds us and our heritage together when the discord of life wants to pull us apart.🍽️

 

 

There is such an epic culmination of flavors in this dish.  The broth made from the dried chiles is out of this world.  The addition of umami beef broth and the melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder contrasted by the sharp, bright and earthy flavors of the toppings, like fresh cilantro, radish, purple cabbage, Mexican green onions and fresh lime just bring it all home.

 

And the best part is almost all of it comes together in the Instant Pot and a blender - so not too messy :-).

 

 

Low-carb, high protein and relatively low in saturated fat if you trim the pork well.  Freezes well, too.

 

I have so much good stuff to share with you this year, I am literally bubbling with excitement! I’m going to unabashedly dish about life, love and the pursuit of joy because it’s all within our hands. Will you join me? Grab a seat at the chef’s table and let’s dig in to our best lives. 🍽️✨🙏🏽XxChefMareya

 

 

FOLLOW @CHEFMAREYA ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM FOR THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES.

 

 

 

The main characters

• Dried chiles: I used dried hatch chiles, but you can use dried guajillo, ancho or arbol chiles.  The key is to break of the stems and shake out as much of the seeds as you can.
• Hominy: A corn that's been treated with lime to make it puff up and get soft and fluffy.  I found a huge-ass can of hominy at my local Smart and Final - now I'm going to use them as a dumbell :-)
• Pork shoulder:  This is also called “pork butt” - and it braises and shreds beautifully
• Beef Broth: I made it from bouillion - a great shortcut and much more affordable than buying them pre-made
• Spices: Coriander, cumin, paprika, pink salt, black pepper, and fresh garlic.
• Mexican chocolate: A little piece of this works wonders.  Make sure you use a super sharp knife to cut this nub off

 

Speaking of which, you can get my Chef's Knife that I used in this recipe for 40% OFF!  Click HERE and use code Mareya40.

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour 

Servings: 10-12 servings

Calories: 320 without toppings

 

Ingredients

3 cups water

8 dried Hatch chiles, stems removed and seeds shaken out

2 teaspoons pink salt

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon Mexican chocolate

3 pounds pork shoulder, fat trimmed

Pink salt and pepper to season

2 tablespoons cooking oil

4 cups low sodium broth beef broth

4 cups hominy, drained and rinsed


 

Toppings:


purple cabbage, cilantro, chopped Mexican onions, lime wedges, sliced radishes, avocado

 

Directions:

1)  In a 2 quart pot, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add the seeded chiles and let cook for 10 minutes over low heat.  Remove from heat and transfer to blender. Add pink salt, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic, and Mexican chocolate and blend until smooth.

2) Cube pork shoulder into 3-4" chunks.  Season all sides of the pork with the salt and black pepper. In your instant pot, using 'saute' function, add oil and sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

3) Add chile mixture plus 4 cups beef broth and rinsed hominy.   Cook for 45 minutes on high heat.  

4) To serve, top with desired toppings.  Lime wedges are a must!