White Corn Posole / Prepared Hominy
The essential nixtamalized grain, prepared in small batches for hominy stews.
After a gentle simmer, dried hominy opens up like a delicious flower and is ready to use in soups, stews and the classic southwestern and Mexican dish, Pozole (or Posole). The corn is prepared by soaking in mineral lime (cal), then removing the skins. This process, called nixtamalization, changes the flavor (for the better) and introduces the vitamin niacin, making this ancient grain healthier and more nutritious than simple corn or cornmeal.
When you are cooking posole, your whole kitchen smells like a glorious, delicious wet tortilla, and then the real fun begins. Beyond Pozole, can also used cooked hominy in salads, soups, and stews, or tossed with some beans or bitter greens. Leftovers can be pureed for hominy grits.
1 lb bag.
- Sort and rinse hominy.
- Soak for 8 hours in cold water, then drain.
- Add to a large pot with 1 roughly chopped onion and cover with 2 inches of fresh water.
- Bring to a hard boil over high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook hominy uncovered until chewy and tender but not chalky, approximately 2 hours. Hominy usually flowers, like popcorn, when finished.
- Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid for later use, then drain. One pound (or 2 cups) dried hominy yields about 7 cups when cooked, and substitutes for canned hominy in recipes with none of the rubbery texture.
All of Steve Sando's (founder and CEO of Rancho Gordon) agricultural pursuits have been driven by a passion for cooking and a frustration with the limited availability of certain ingredients—particularly those native to the Americas. One of the qualities that initially drew him to beans was their indigenous origin. To him, these native ingredients should be familiar, if not commonplace. As American cuisine continues to reinvent itself, they hope to see ingredients, traditions, and recipes from both North and South America play a larger role in that evolution. They love the concept of “The Americas” and believe it is just as essential as the European heritage many people share.