posole

I've been making posole lately, or some self-invented variation thereof, after coming across a bag of dried Giant White Corn in amidst the piles of Goya beans at my local grocery store.

1 lb. bag Giant White Corn
water
chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 heads of garlic
4 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon butter
cayenne pepper
black pepper to taste
2/3 cup white wine
a couple tomatoes
1 avocado
1/4 red onion
limes

I never think far enough ahead to soak beans or, in this case, strange-looking giant dried out kernels of corn, overnight, so instead, here's what I do. I empty my 1-lb. bag of whatever into a pot, cover by an inch or so with hot water, bring to a boil for a couple minutes, remove from heat, and let soak for an hour or two. Then I can get started with the recipe.

Drain and rinse the corn, put back in pot, cover with a mixture of water and broth, put on stove over medium/low heat, let simmer for a long time, probably an hour or two, adding water as needed to keep the corn covered. Peel a head of garlic, lightly smash the cloves, and toss those in as well. The kernels never get soft, per se, but rather seem to maintain a rather odd texture no matter how long you cook them. I like this texture, slightly chewy, slightly crunchy, as do the people I've served this to. (I'm pretty sure they weren't just saying this since they both had seconds.) I added more chicken broth as well as a bouillon cube. The first time I added a packet of Goya seasoning, but not the second. It was good both ways.

Peel and chop the remaining half of a head of garlic. Heat the butter in a saute pan and brown the chicken thighs over high, then turn down heat and transfer the thighs to the corn pot. Add the garlic and maybe a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the saute pan with the butter, cook until the garlic is golden, then add white wine and cook till reduced by half, scraping up the chicken bits. Add all of this to the corn pot, also. Let simmer until chicken is thoroughly cooked, then remove thighs with slotted spoon, remove the chicken meat from the bones and return to pot, season with black & cayenne pepper.

Dice the tomatoes, the avocado, and the red onion, mix in a bowl with juice of half a lime, a pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve over posole, with a Negra Modelo and extra lime wedges.