Annalena goes Mexican in a BIG way: posole

Si. Annalena has spoken, in the past, about her love for Mexican food, and her inability to "get it." What I mean by that is, I am simply NOT a terrific Mexican cook. I can make good guacamole, and perhaps a fish veracruz, stuff like that, but "true" Mexican food eludes me. Perhaps there is the question of ingredients. Much of Mexican cooking does in fact use lard as a fat base (although "Mexicano novo" is changing that), and the spices are very much not comprehensible to me. Be that as it may, sometimes, the stars line up, the mood hits, and Annalena emerges not as Signora Annalena but Senora Annalena, and the Mexican food comes out. This is one such time, and it's an involved one. Actually, it's not that involved. You will see a long list of ingredients, and a lot of time will be involved. Worry not, however, there is not much work here, and Annalena is going to give you leave to use things in cans.
Posole is a long cooked, stew, just about always with pork, and hominy (although I have seen other variations on it). When it is made, a LOT of it is made. Indeed, the recipe which follows will make somewhere in the vicinity of 3.5 to 4 quarts of food. So plan to share it.

First, I'm going to list the ingredients. You are going to need onions, 4 of them. You will also need ancho chile powder. You can buy this, or you can make your own. Buy it. You'll need what seems like a lot: 4 tablespoons. You will also need vegetable oil, probably about half a cup. Also, 3 tablespoons of oregano. If you happen to be able to find Mexican oregano, fabulous. If not, plain old Italian will be fine.
The meat? A pork shoulder, or a "Boston butt." About 5-6 pounds, with the bone. Also, chicken stock, at least a quart. You will also want the cloves of one head of g arlic. To the cans: you will want 4 of the small cans of chopped, green anaheim chilis, and 4 pound cans of hominy. Of course, if you want to do any of this by hand and make your own, do not let Annalena stop you (recently, I made my own hominy and it was wonderful, but for quantities like this: get out the can opener.

Let's deal with that pork s houlder first. It will probably have a very thick layer of fat on it. Much as I regret giving this advice, cut that away. You're not going to sear this meat, and the fat is just going to grease things up along the way. Once you have done that, cut the shoulder into large pieces. Don't discard the bone. There will be meat on it, and keep that all in a bowl, and toss about a hefty teaspoon of salt all over it.

Peel and slice two onions into half moons. Try to get them thin, but don't be a surgeon. Put those onions into a big (BIG) pot with half the oil and saute them until they soften. Won't take long. Now add a heaping tablespoon of that chili powder, and the same quantity of oregano, and stir it all up. It will smell wonderful, and the color is terrific. Now put in the pork, and cover it with stock. Bring this all to a boil, and then, when you have it there, cover it, put it in a 350 degree oven, and let it cook for a good 2 hours.

Your home is going to smell wonderful while this is happening, and something wonderful is going to happen to the meat: it will soften, and after the two hours it will ,literally shred. Perfect. This is what you want. You separate the meat from the stock, and when it's cool enough to handle, shred the meat like it's old cloth (ropa vieja comes out exactly the same way). Store the stock separately, and then cover both of these and refrigerate them overnight.

The next day, you will find a good layer of solid fat on the stock, with a rich red color. That's some of the oils in the spices and, unfortunately, you are going to give those up. Nuthin you can do about it. The stock itself will be thick, and jelly like. The meat may have some fat on it, but if it's not excessive, don't worry. Put them aside as you get the vegetable base ready.

Slice up the other two onions, the same way you did the first batch. Cook them the same way and add the remaining chili powder, the oregano, the cumin, and the cloves of garlic, which you will have chopped. Also open, drain, and add the green chilis. Stir this all together, and now add the pork and the stock. Also, open, drain and add the hominy. All of it.

See why you needed a big pot? Let this all cook togethr at a low simmer for 30 minutes and, know what? You are DONE, and you have food for a party. And its very, VERY good. (mucho mucho bueno).

You can figure out what to serve with this yourself. If you want to cut back on the hominy, don't let me stop you. I will tell you that hominy is like a little baby sponge, and it is going to pick up all that wonderful flavor, so DO use it. Some people will keep the hominy out and pour the posole over it, and that's an option.

You can also stir in cilantro at the last minute, or lime juice, or both. You might also want to add some hot sauce at the table, or some slices of avocado. Play with the garnishes, but make the dish. As I read through it, there really is minimal work here.

Yes, it is summer, but do this. You have plenty of food, it's wonderfully tasty, and people will love you for it.