A Taste of Mexico

When I moved to Madison, Mexican food cuisine was mostly Pedro's, Chi-Chi's, and Taco Bell. The only sign of remotely authentic Mexican food was a small grocery store at Fair Oaks and Milwaukee. Thankfully that situation has changed. Dramatically. You can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting a Mexican restaurant that is at least decent. And there are several Mexican grocery stores here now too. One of the great things about this is that I can get a fine bowl of pozole in Madison now.

Today, despite it being the warmest December day since the end of the Little Ice Age and me not having a drop of Mexican blood, I made a pot of the luscious hominy and pork stew. It turned out rather well, if I do say so myself.

Here it is simmering away:



My plate of toppings. Nothing like some fresh jalapeño in chilly weather.



And here it is being served:



This was the first time I'd ever made pozole and I'm happy with how it turned out. I think the next time I make it I'd like to use either homemade chili powder assembled with some quality spices from Penzeys or a similar place. Or basically any chili powder that costs more than $0.99 for a few ounces. In my defense, I did use some good quality cumin.