All families have their Christmas traditions — and many center around food.
There are unique dishes that people from different ethnic groups traditionally prepare during the holidays in December.
One of those is pozole, a traditional Latino/Hispanic dish. Jeffrey Coker, Associate Dean at theCulinary Institute at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) joined us with the recipe.
Chicken Pozole (verde)
Serves 3 – 4 guests
Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 lbs. Chicken breasts, boneless skinless, 1" cubes
½ lb. Fresh tomatillos, peeled
4 each Garlic cloves, large, 2 peeled and smashed and 2 minced
1 tablespoon Cumin powder
1 each Brown onion, small dice
2 tablespoons Canola oil
1⁄2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Dark chili powder
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon Dried oregano
4 cups Canned white hominy, drained and rinsed
3 - 5 cups Chicken stock
1 cup Poblano chilis, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 each Whole fresh jalapeno, chopped
Traditional Garnishes:
• Crema or sour cream
• Avocado
• Lime or lemon wedges
• Sliced radishes
• Chopped cilantro
• Shredded green cabbage
• Fried corn tortilla strips or chips
Directions:
1. Prepare all vegetables, drain and rinse the hominy. For the roasted poblano: using tongs, place the chili over a flame and gently char the skin until evenly dark. Cover with plastic wrap in a bowl and allow to steam for several minutes until you can handle the chili by hand. Peel the chili, remove the seeds, and chop. Reserve for next steps. If you do not have a gas stove, roast covered in foil in an oven at 375-degrees F. for 20-30 minutes.
2. For the meat: place the meat in a large saucepan and add chicken stock to cover. Add 1/2 chopped onion, tomatillos, the 2 smashed garlic cloves, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, skim off any fat or foam that rises, reduce heat, cover and gently simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Remove meat and lightly puree the remaining broth. Reserve.
5. In the same pot, sauté the remaining chopped onion and minced garlic in oil until translucent. Add the remaining spices and stir.
6. Shred or rough chop the chicken.
7. Add the broth, hominy, chicken, roasted poblano chilies and jalapenos (optional).
8. Cook at a simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat and hominy are tender.
9. If necessary, cook for up to an additional 60 minutes until the chilies and onions are well blended into the broth.
10. Degrease the stew, taste for salt, and serve in soup bowls. Use any or all of the garnishes as desired.
Stephen Foxley, from Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, says at Regence they understand that diversity and inclusion are key to ensuring more equitable health care.
They have launched several DEI initiatives to better support the most vulnerable members and their communities.
Foxley says Employee Resource Groups are also an important part of their DEI strategy. In fact he says he belongs to one called Aspire: Asian and Pacific Islander cultures.
Go to Regence.com for more information.
