GOOD LUCK SOUP

- 5 pounds boneless pork, including tenderloin, shoulder, butt, and neck bones (and use at least one split pig’s foot to give the broth a silky, gelatinous texture)
- 15 cups (3¾ quarts) cold water
- 1 pound whole white dried corn kernels, made into hominy, (15-ounce) cans hominy, drained
- Salt to taste
- GARNISH
- Spicy tomato salsa (chopped tomato, chiles, garlic, cilantro, onion, and lime juice, to your taste)
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Finely shredded red cabbage
- Dried and crumbled oregano
- Lime wedges
Instructions:
TRADITIONALLY SERVED IN Jalisco, Mexico, and in the American Southwest as good luck for the New Year, pozole is also commonly served as a special Christmas Eve dish. It’s one of those “poor people foods”—like Indian curry— that ends up knocking your socks off with how the variety of condiments that can accompany it surprise and transform the rich pozole base. EARTHY AND SWEET, this rich white version serves as a homey base to support and set off the beauty and flavor of the garnishes.
- TO PREPARE
- Two days ahead (optional), if you are making the hominy from scratch; see the instructions.
- Prep the remaining ingredients as directed in the recipe, including the garnish.
- TO COOK
- Bring the meats and cold water to a boil in a large soup pot over medium heat and let boil, partially covered, for 1 hour.
- Add the drained hominy and salt (as much as several tablespoons), reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for another hour.
- Remove the pork, cut the meat off the bone, and return the meat to the pot, discarding the bones. Cover the pot and let simmer over very low heat for 4 hours.
- TO SERVE
- Place the garnishes in individual dishes.
- Ladle the soup into deep bowls and serve immediately, passing the condiments for your guests to serve themselves.