Boxing Day Soups

Cold. Tired of Christmas Cheer. Need something warm and soothing. Invite 25 people over and serve them Mexican soups. They’ll smile. You’ll smile.

Pork Posole
Don’t kid yourself, this soup takes time – like the best soups or stews, it should be started the day before to mature flavors and allow you to cool the soup and completely remove all the fat – this is a post-Christmas recipe; it’s supposed to be healthful – so get to work! Posole is corn soaked and softened with alkali (hominy) or, also known as a stew made with pork and, well posole.

1 4-lb pork shoulder roast
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb tomatillos, peeled and quartered
1 15-oz can hominy
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 can chopped mild green chilies

Preheat oven to 400F on Christmas afternoon. In a large Dutch oven sear the pork roast in a bit of canola oil, browning all sides. Toss in the onions, cumin and fennel halfway through browning the meat, stirring often. Sprinkle with oregano. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour, skin-side up. Add a bit of water if onions dry out too much.

Now transfer Dutch oven to the stovetop and add the garlic. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add 2 quarts water and the tomatillos and bring to a boil. You may need to cut the roast up a bit to make sure all the meat is submerged in liquid. Cover and cook for another hour or so – stirring often.

Remove the meat and allow to cool enough handle. Pull the pork apart along the grain. Strain the stock and refrigerate for several hours, until the fat solidifies on the surface – don’t worry, you’re gonna get rid of it all! Now scrape all the fat away (use a large sharp metal cooking spoon) from the surface and discard. Return the meat to the stock and add the hominy, chipotle and chilies. Reheat to a simmer and cook at least another half hour – the longer the better. Serve with tortillas.

Mexican Gulf Shrimp Soup
The secret to this soup is roasting the shrimp shells. This is inspired by a wonderful shrimp soup of friends Caren and Eric – but ‘souped’ up with Southwestern flavors. Serves 8.

2 lbs shrimp, peeled (shells well-drained and reserved)
2 quarts water (or chicken stock)
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice
1/2 can diced green chilies
2 stalks green onion, finely diced
fresh nutmeg

In a soup pot, sauté shrimp shells in 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until very fragrant – at least 10-15 minutes. Add water (or stock) and bring to a boil. Return to a simmer, and cook for an hour. Strain and reserve stock.

Meanwhile sauté the peppers in a bit of olive oil, until softened and browned. Add the garlic for the last 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Return the stock to a large soup pot and add the rice and the peeled shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook another 20 minutes. Add the peppers, chilies, green onions and nutmeg, and cook another minute or two.