Chicken Posole

And the cooking funk continues. Maybe it is because every time I cook these days I end up with some sort of injury. Be it second degree burns from boiling pasta water or slicing open my finger while chopping onions, it has really turned me off. I am trying to get back to cooking though. Last weekend I made a pot of posole and it was delicious. If you don't know, posole is a Mexican soup made with pork (but I used chicken), Ancho chile, and hominy. I got the recipe from the October issue of Real Simple. The title of the article said it all for me: "A Month of Easy Dinners." Now that is my kind of dinner. The posole certainly was easy.

Chicken Posole
Adapted from Real Simple- October 2009

1 T olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
1 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 24-ounce box of chopped tomatoes, with juices
1 to 2 T ancho chile powder
2 cups of cubed cooked chicken breast
1 15-ounce can of hominy, drained and rinsed
1 lime, cut in wedges
1 avocado, sliced

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and 1/4 t. of salt, pepper, and chile powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown.

Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and the hominy and simmer unitl heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with lime and avocado.

Bon Appetit!
Jen

p.s. no picture just yet... stay tuned.

Pork Tenderloin with Green Chile Sauce

I have really been in a cooking funk. Between Max starting school, planning his birthday party and going out of town I have really not been cooking too much. I found this recipe that I made a few weeks ago. I promise, this is the last green chile recipe for a while! This green chile sauce recipe is from Central Market. I think it would also be good on grilled chicken, fish, enchiladas. You know, just about anything.

Pork Tenderloin with Green Chile Sauce

1 3 lb. pork tenderloin (mine was dijon mustard and herb marinated)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
10 roasted Hatch chiles (5 hot, 5 mild)
1 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

To make the pork: Heat 2 T of olive oil in a cast iron skillet and sear the outside the tenderloin. Once seared, place the pork (in the skillet) in an oven preheated to 400°. Bake for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160°.

For the green chile sauce: Heat 1/4 c. of olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute. Next add the green chiles and the chicken broth. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add this concoction to a food processor and blend until it is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


I served this with couscous and sauteed spinach. Claire, this one was for you!

Bon Appetit!
Jen