Barley Pozole (Mexican Barley and Hominy)

Molly53's Note:

A lively, piquant twist on a traditional dish courtesy of the National Barley Foods Council.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 fresh anaheim chilies , seeded,deveined and chopped
• 4 fresh jalapeno chiles , seeded,deveined and chopped
• 8 cups chicken broth , divided
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1 (29 ounce) can hominy , drained and rinsed
• 2 (7 ounce) containers salsa verde (or use the Mexican salsa verde recipe of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• shredded cheddar cheese , for garnish (optional)
• finely chopped green onion , for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In large pot with lid, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion and chiles for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add 4 cups broth and all of barley.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in remaining broth, hominy, salsa and cumin.
7. Cook for 20 minutes longer.
8. Ladle soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese, if desired.

Reviews

[L'ecole]

I was looking for something else to do with hominy aside from regular (pork) posole. I also love barley (very healthy too), so this dish killed several birds with one stone. A nice stick-to-your-ribs almost-vegetarian recipe (you could probably substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and make it truly vegetarian) for a chilly autumn evening; you won't miss the meat at all!