A Cure For The Common Hangover, Found On The Stove
On New Year's Day, there's one comfort food that could be your magical hangover remedy, according to chef Anthony Lamas.
"If you're cold, you're hung over, you've had a long night, posole is that Latino cure for you in a bowl," he says.
That's right — don't head to the medicine cabinet, head directly to the stove and a simmering pot of posole, a traditional hominy stew from Mexico, says Lamas, the owner of the restaurant Seviche in Louisville, Ky.
Posole, he says, is usually made on a Saturday night and eaten on a Sunday — but it's also perfect for New Year's Day.
He learned to make this stew from his mother, who often served it right after a big party. "As long as I remember, it's what they ate when everyone was hung over. You know, 'It's time for a bowl of posole to get me right,' " he says.
He calls the stew comfort food with a little spice to it. "It makes you feel good, you sweat a little bit from the chilies; [it] gets all those impurities out," he says.
Lamas shared his recipe for All Things Considered's Found Recipes series but says posole is infinitely customizable. Most versions have cabbage, onions, lime and cilantro — but Lamas says you can also add a variety of toppings, including crackers, cheese, radishes or warm tortillas.
Recipe: Pork Posole
Makes 8 to 10 portions
5 pounds fresh hominy or one #10 can (approximately 13 cups) high-quality canned hominy (Lamas recommends Juanita's Brand)
2.5 pounds tomatillos
1 #10 can (approximately 6 pounds, 6 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
1 1/2 gallons chicken stock
2 ounces crushed red pepper flakes
4 bay leaves
2 ounces dried oregano
2 ounces epazote (an herb, available at Latino groceries)
2 ounces kosher salt
3 ounces ground achiote
2 ounces fresh-cracked black pepper
2 Spanish onions, diced
3 ounces chopped fresh garlic
Juice of 3 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
Rub pork butt with 1 ounce achiote, 1 ounce garlic, juice of 1 lime, salt and pepper and 1 ounce of olive oil. Roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes and then remove from oven.
Add 1/2 gallon chicken stock, cover and put back in the oven at 250 degrees for 6 hours until fork-tender (this step can be done ahead of time). Use two forks to pull pork into chunks — not shredded, but broken into bite-size pieces. Reserve pan juices.
Boil hominy in salted water until tender, then drain. If using canned hominy, drain and rinse. Peel and dice the tomatillos.
In a large stockpot, saute the onions and tomatillos in 2 ounces oil for 3 minutes until softened, then add the remaining garlic.
In a separate bowl, mash the whole peeled tomatoes. Add tomatoes to the onion mixture, and add remaining ingredients to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the pork and reserved juices to the pot of broth.
This soup can be made up to five days ahead of time and refrigerated.
Serve with warm tortillas, chopped cabbage, diced raw onion, lime wedges and fresh cilantro.
Recipe courtesy of Anthony Lamas
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Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Today's Found Recipe could be the remedy you're looking for tomorrow.
CHEF ANTHONY LAMAS: If you're cold, you're hungover, you've had a long night, posole is that Latino cure for you in a bowl.
SIEGEL: That's right - don't head to the medicine cabinet, head directly to the stove and that simmering pot of posole. It's a traditional hominy stew from Mexico.
LAMAS: It's usually made on a Saturday night and usually eaten on Sundays.
SIEGEL: But Chef Anthony Lamas says it's also perfect for tomorrow - New Year's Day. He's the owner of the restaurant Seviche in Louisville, Kentucky, and he's known for his posole. Lamas learned to make this stew from his mother. She always served it right after a big party.
LAMAS: As long as I can remember, it's, like, what they ate. You know, everybody was kind of hungover. It was, like, you know, it's time for a bowl of posole to get me right.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LAMAS: It just really - I guess it's that comfort thing, you know, there's a little spice to it. There's some texture from the cabbage and the onions and the fresh cilantro and the lime and you got the chunks of pork. You could smell the hominy too, that nice corn flavor, just kind of simmering in there. And it makes you feel good. You're sweating a little bit from the chilies. It gets all those impurities out.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LAMAS: I'm from California originally. My father's from Puerto Rico, my mother's from Mexico. Posole was one of those early memories that I saw the ingredients coming in and mom prepping, I just thought oh, OK, there's going to be - there's people coming over. My aunts and uncles are coming over.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LAMAS: My mom thought I was nosy, you know, because I always wanted to be around, but it's like she be trying to get me to bed and, mom, I can't sleep. I'm hungry and she's like have a glass of milk. And I'm like that's not doing it. I'm smelling this posole and I can smell the onions and the broth simmering all night and it just would make me toss and turn in my bed. And I couldn't wait until the next morning, but no, this posole is keeping me awake.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LAMAS: So she would make a posole verde - meaning green - tomatillos, poblanos. The thing about posole is it's about letting it simmer and getting all that flavor in there and then all these toppings that you add to it - maybe some crackers and a little cheese and a little onion. You're always going to see cabbage and lime and cilantro, but you might not always see radishes or you might not always see warm tortillas. Everybody can do their own version. Posole - it's like the Latino chili so to speak.
SIEGEL: That's chef Anthony Lamas, now based in Louisville, Kentucky. There's still time to get your pot of posole simmering on the stove. In case you want to try out his Latino cure for a hangover, go to our Found Recipes page at npr.org for details. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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