Posole, Pizza & Curry

Well, Sally, Holly and two of their lady friends are off adventuring in Norway for two weeks, leaving me behind to tend the cats and house.  So I'm making some of my favorites, as well as other dishes for you.  First up is:

Posole or Pozole
This is an Aztec/Mexican soup or stew first mentioned in a 15th century Spanish Codex.

Posole/pozole is the Aztec word meaning "hominy", a special method of preserving corn by soaking dried kernals in an alkali solution.  This makes them swell and turn white, and they're given the name hominy.  Dry the swollen kernals and grind them and you have masa harina, the ubiquitous corn flour used for tortillas, tamales and so much more in Mexican cuisine.

I make Posole verde -- hominy, green chilies and tomatillos, spices and shredded or cubed pork (you could also use chicken).  This time I started by cooking a nearly 3 lb pork shoulder for an hour per pound, and then shredding it out.

For the verde part, I save a lot of hassle and labor by starting with a large can of Green Chili Enchilada Sauce.  I pour the sauce over chopped sautéed onion, green bell peppers and Ancho chilis, then fold in the shredded pork and a large can of white hominy.  Often I'll toss in half a chopped red bell pepper for its color.

At this point you can simply ladle out a bowl, grab a couple warm tortillas to mop up the gray, and call it stew-for-dinner.

Or you can take things a step further and make Posole Nachos:  arrange a plate of tortillas chip and ladle the pozole over that:

Cauliflower Crusted Pizza
We discovered cauliflower crust pizza up in North Carolina; our friends Susan and Patrick had some in the fridge at there mountain house.

Having tried it, and liked it, I set out to find something similar here.  Our local mega-mart had both topped cauliflower pizzas and bare crust.  I opted for the bare crust.

The crust is made from ground cauliflower, other non-wheat flours, egg and other binders and some herbs and spices.  It looks like conventional dough crust.

And it handles pretty much the same way as a premade conventional dough crust.  You'll have to experiment to get just the right crispness of crust without burning, but experimenting can be tasty fun!

You par-cook the crust to get it crispy first.  Then top it with sauce and various things to get the flavors you want.  The one pictured has Alfredo sauce, mushrooms, tomato, par-cooked asparagus pieces, and crumbled goat cheese.

The taste is pretty darn close to conventional dough crust -- it does not taste of cauliflower at all (at least the brand I found doesn't.  It tastes pretty much like regular crust.  It also has much the same 'tooth' as conventional crust, which is equally important to my appreciation of pizza.

As relatively inexpensive as these crusts are, I'm not sure it's worth the effort to make such a crust from scratch; although I suppose I'll do so in the not too distant future, just to say "I did it".


Eggplant Curry
My third dish this week is a classic Punjab Indian dish called Baingan Bharta -- a curry made from grilled eggplant, onion, tomato, yogurt and assorted herbs and spices.  This is one of the most flavorful things you can do with the classic Middle Eastern/Indian combination of eggplant, onion and tomato.  Luckily for us, you can go to virtually any Indian market and purchase a package of Baingan Bharta spice blend.

Start by slicing a couple eggplant into 1" thick rounds, then into 1" cubes.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper, toss them with some EVOO, and grill for about 5 minutes.  Turn them over and grill again.  Don't over-do the grilling -- you want the eggplant to retain it's chunkiness.

In a large skillet saute 1 or 2 chopped onions until they start to caramelize, then toss in "some" chopped tomatoes -- 3 or 4 Romas or a couple firm beefsteaks.  Dust everything with the Baingan Bharts spice mix -- at least 1 teaspoon, and stir to coat.  Continue cooking, adding "some" cilantro and/or chopped parsley. minced ginger and garlic.  Dust with a second teaspoon of the curry powder and continue.  Add about half to three-quarters of a cup of plain yogurt, a tablespoon or so of cumin seeds, and a third teaspoon of curry powder.  Toss in a cup or so of frozen green peas and simmer until they're warmed through.  Taste and add more seasoning if you choose.  

Serve over or alongside rice, naan or pita bread.