Hearty Pozole Soup, the Perfect Fall Supper from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure Park

At Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, we rejoice in fall’s dip in temperature – nothing dramatic, but the perfect excuse to bring out the soup recipes.

Paradise Garden Grill is offering this classic Mexican soup as part of Disney ¡Viva Navidad! at Disney California Adventure park. It is also offered at Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland park on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Since it’s not always there, here’s the recipe for you to try at home. And it’s even better the second day. Pozole (or posole) is a hearty hybrid of soup and stew with chewy hominy and tender pork – the fresh garnishes add crunch and freshness.

Pozole
Serves 8 to 10

• 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled, and split lengthwise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt, divided
• 6 dried Guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho or New Mexico chiles
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into large pieces
• 3 medium or 2 large plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise and cored
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1 (15-ounce) can white hominy, drained and rinsed

Garnishes

• 1/2 small head green cabbage, finely shredded
• 6 radishes, sliced thinly
• 3 limes, quartered
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, large stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1. Rinse diced pork under cold water until water runs clear. Transfer pork to a large stock pot over medium-high heat; add 8 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer; skim off and discard foam and solids that float to surface.
2. Stir in garlic, bay leaves, onion, cumin, and 1 tablespoon salt. Turn heat to medium to keep soup at a light simmer. Cover and simmer 90 minutes (do not boil). Periodically skim foam from surface.
3. Meanwhile, remove and discard stems, seeds, and large veins from dried chiles. Break into large pieces in a medium saucepan and add 3 cups water. Top with sweet onion, tomatoes, and garlic cloves, keeping chiles submerged. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Working in 2 batches, puree chile mixture with cooking liquid in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into soup pot, pressing solids with back of spoon to extract liquid.
5. Simmer soup for 90 minutes, then stir in black pepper, oregano, and hominy. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.
6. Remove a piece of pork and taste for doneness. If meat is not tender, simmer 15 to 20 minutes more.
7. Serve hot soup with garnishes for topping.

Hearty Pozole Soup, the Perfect Fall Supper from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure Park by Pam Brandon: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog