PozoleMexican hominy soup

• 1 kg2.2 lb boneless pork shoulder (maciza), cut in 5 cm (2 in) pieces
• 700 g1.5 lb pork backbone (espinazo) or meaty neck bones, cut in pieces by the butcher
• 4 l17 cups water, plus more as needed
• 1 white onion, halved
• 1 head garlic, loose papery skin removed, halved crosswise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 1 kg2.2 lb (about 6 cups) cooked cacahuazintle hominy (maíz pozolero precocido), drained and rinsed, or 500 g / 1.1 lb dried nixtamalized corn, cooked as in the notes
• 1/4 head green cabbage or romaine lettuce, finely shredded, to serve
• 10 radishes, thinly sliced, to serve
• 1 white onion, finely chopped and rinsed, to serve
• 2 tbsp dried Mexican oregano, to serve
• ground chile piquín or chile de árbol, or a red table salsa, to serve
• 4 limes, cut in wedges, to serve
• 12 tostadas, to serve

Method

1. 1

   1. Put the pork shoulder and backbone in a large pot with the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off the grey foam for the first 10 minutes.

2. 2

   2. Add the halved onion, the garlic, the bay leaves and the salt. Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until the shoulder is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

3. 3

   3. Lift out the meat. Strain the broth, discard the onion, garlic and bay, and spoon off most of the fat from the surface.

4. 4

   4. Return the broth to the pot with the hominy and simmer for 30 minutes, until the kernels are soft and opened like small flowers, adding hot water if the broth gets too thick.

5. 5

   5. Meanwhile, shred the shoulder into large pieces and pick the meat off the backbone.

6. 6

   6. Return the meat to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes more. Taste and add salt; hominy absorbs a lot of it.

7. 7

   7. Set the cabbage, radishes, onion, oregano, chile, limes and tostadas on the table.

8. 8

   8. Ladle the pozole into deep bowls and let everyone add garnishes, rubbing the oregano between the palms over the bowl and squeezing in lime.