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Rack and drip pan for resting

Shaker or sifter

Spatula

Wooden spoon

Posole

Posole can be prepared exactly 6,483 different ways but in order to be “posole,” hominy must be present. What the heck is hominy anyway? Hominy, or nixtamal in Mexico, is maize (yes, that’s just corn) that has been treated with a lye solution in order to loosen the outer seed coat or pericarp. The process also unlocks some of the protein content of the grain, making it available for fine folks like you and me. If you don’t have a Crock-Pot, you can do all your browning in a Dutch oven, then cover it and stash it in a 200° F oven for several hours. Time is a major ingredient but it’s nearly impossible to say exactly how much is required. It depends on the type of pork, the size of the pieces, and too many other variables to predict. It’s done when your mouth says it’s done.

Application: Braising/Stewing

Heat up one tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat. Then, add the onion, garlic, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt and cook until the onion is translucent. (We’re not looking for color here so drop the heat if things start getting crispy.)

When the bulb works are soft, transfer to the slow cooker. Crank the heat to high on the sauté pan, then add the remaining oil. When the pan just starts to smoke, add the pork and brown on all sides. (It’s tough to overstress the dramatic effect thorough browning has on a dish such as this one. Appearance and flavor will be lackluster without serious searage. I’m not saying you want to burn it but you want to come pretty close.)

When the pork’s good and ready toss it in the slow cooker with the hominy, chiles, beef stock, and oregano. Set the slow cooker to high and let it perc for 2 hours. Drop the heat to low and cook for another 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the ham hock, tear off whatever meat remains on it and add it back to the soup. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the posole with the cilantro, cabbage, radishes, and lime wedges.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Personally, I’d sneak into the pantry and gnaw on it like a wild animal, but that’s just me.

Software:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1½ cups chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 1½ pound pork roast,

trimmed and cubed

1 smoked ham hock

1 (28 ounce) can hominy, drained

2 dried chopped arbol or ancho

chiles

1 quart beef stock

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For garnish:

1 small bunch cilantro

1½ cups thinly sliced cabbage

4 small radishes, thinly sliced

2 limes, quartered

Hardware:

Chef ’s knife

Cutting board

12-inch sauté pan

Crock-Pot or other 4 to 6 quart

electric slow cooker

Split Pea Soup

The Crock-Pot and other slow cookers have had a resurgence in popularity of late, and with good reason: this is a great device for holding foods at a steady low temperature for hours at a time. This is my take on classic split pea soup; the chipotle and the miso soup paste give it greater depth of flavor.

Application: Simmer

Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker and set it to high. Cook for 6 to 8 hours, or until the peas have softened. Remove the salt pork before serving. Really, that’s it.

Yield: 4 servings.

Software:

18 ounces split peas

1 finger-sized piece of salt pork

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1½ cups assorted aromatics, such

as carrots, onions and celery,

chopped

2 quarts chicken broth

1½ tablespoons miso paste

Hardware:

Digital scale

4 to 6 quart slow-cooker

Chili

For me, chili has to be all about the chiles. Once you come to grips with this seemingly obvious fact, you’ll be the king of chili.

Application: Stewing

Season the beef with salt, pepper, and chile powder. Heat the sauté pan, add some of the oil, and brown the beef, working in batches if necessary and removing the browned beef to a plate. In a heavy-bottom pot, sweat the onions and garlic in some of the oil until tender, but not browned. Add the remaining