Slow Cooker Pork Posole

Must be winter in Seattle!  Everything I post latley is hot and in a bowl!

Posole is a hearty stew from Mexico.  Traditional accompaniments include chopped lettuce, cilantro and lime, but a dolop of sour cream would’nt hurt either.
An unusual ingredient in this dish is hominy. Hominy is corn that has been processed to remove the hull and germ.  When ground, you get grits!  So if you are a grit or polenta lover, you will love this stuff!   It adds a great deal of flavor to this stew and although you can substitute corn if you prefer, you won’t get near the same results.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 chipotle en adobo, minced plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (*see note below)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can hominy, rinsed and drained
Chopped romaine, radishes and cilantro
Lime wedges

Chop pork and sprinkle with salt.
Heat olive oil in skillet on medium high heat.  Add half the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.  Transfer pork to 6 quart slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.

*(For those not familiar with Chipotle: Chipotle are smoked jalapeno peppers that have been cooked in a thick sauce.  Personally I like the sauce more than the hot peppers themselves.  If you don’t like a lot of heat, remove as many of the seeds as possible.  Remaining Chipotle can be kept frozen for several months. In a pinch, a decent substitute for Chipotle is smoked paprika.)

Add the broth, onion, garlic, chipotle, adobo, chili powder, oregano and cumin; mix well. Top with tomatoes and then the hominy in even layers.

Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender.  4-5 hours on high or 8-10 on low.

Serve the posole in soup bowls with the lettuce, radishes, cilantro and lime wedges on the side.