Posole, a delicious Mexican turkey, pork, vegetable and hominy stew...

I know after the holidays, you've had your fill of all things turkey, maybe even turkey soup. So what to do with the remainder of that leftover turkey? How about making a batch of delicious posole, which is Mexico's take on turkey soup, with a few added twists? Try my posole recipe, and you and your guests will love this hearty stew.

Special tools: Large cast iron pot with lid; I use six quart, but any stockpot will work
Preparation time: About 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 2 hours
Yield: About 3 quarts, for about 6 to 8 servings; see text

2 cups turkey, cooked, diced; chicken may be substituted
2 cups pork shoulder or ribs, cooked, cubed or diced
1 29-oz can hominy, white
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced in uniform slices
1 medium zucchini squash, sliced in uniform slices
1 yellow crook neck squash, sliced in uniform pieces
1 medium white onion, skinned and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and veins removed, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Salt, to taste, about 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Water, as needed

In large stock pot add chicken broth and heat over medium. While broth is heating peel carrot and cut into equal sized round slices. The larger slices should be cut in half. Slice zucchini and yellow squash. Dice onion and jalapeno peppers, taking care to remove seeds and veins. Reserve vegetables.

Dice turkey, or chicken if used, into small pieces, but size is not at all critical. Pork should be cubed into uniform pieces, again, size is not critical. Pork and turkey must be pre-cooked, for this recipe, perhaps leftovers from a previous meal.

Add vegetables, pork and turkey to pot, turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, reduce heat to low and add hominy, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin, cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. If mixture becomes too thick, add water as needed.

Despite the long list of ingredients, this stew is very unforgiving and easy to make. Note that it does not contain any weird ingredients, like tripe, and is not at all spicy.

Left: Posole cooking in a cast iron stockpot. Right: A bowl of posole makes a great side dish, or a complete meal. The homemade chicken stock really makes a difference in taste.

Nothing about posole is critical. If you care for a thinner mixture, add as much water as you want so it reaches the consistency that you desire. Feel free to add more turkey, pork, veggies, or whatever you choose for additional servings. If you want a spicier stew, add additional jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes.

Give this soup a try as its easy to make, it tastes good, and its good for you! I actually had the gall to make this soup for a recent pot luck at work. Everybody loved it and raved about it, even those folks who don't normally savor Mexican cusine. Even my wife likes this stew, and she has very tender taste buds!

Garnish with lime and radish slices and serve with a stack of warm corn tortillas.

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