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By Editor Kathleen Furore
La Diable pozole in the Denver snow
This year, in what is usually a mild first week of November, Mother Nature decided to surprise Denver with an early snowstorm that dumped almost a foot of snow in the metro area.
While residents were digging out, the team at La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal — a Michelin Bib Gourmand pozoleria nestled between the city’s Rino Arts District and BallPark neighborhood — was inviting customers to dig into a bowl of pozole.
“Denver snow davs call for something warm and comforting — like our buy one, get one FREE pozole! Available all day from 11 AM to 10 PM!” the Instagram post announced.
The restaurant, the first in Denver devoted to pozole, promises “an authentic pozole y mezcal experience.” That experience, created by chef/owner Jose Avila, includes $18 bowls of pozole made with the customer’s choice of rojo, verde, blanco, negro or vegan broth; a choice of pork or chicken; lettuce, cabbage, radish, onion, lime, oregano and chile flakes for garnish; and add-ons including chicharron, avocado or poached egg for an extra $3. All of the pozoles are made with in-house-nixtamalized Masienda corn.
The 2-for-1 pozole special is offered every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for dine in or carry out — no snow necessary.
A Year-Round Menu Option
Pozole traces its history to the 16th century, when corn was revered as a sacred crop and a celebratory food for privileged members of the Aztec empire.
“Today pozole is still prepared for special occasions, however it is brought to life more regularly, giving the feeling of warmth and celebration to the consumer all year round,” information from La Diabla’s website explains.
That year-round warmth pozole brings is even felt in warm-weather locales like San Diego!
It's there that Jorge Bustamante launched My Pozole just after the Covid pandemic forced him to shutter his transportation company. An entrepreneur at heart, he decided to turn his family’s pozole recipe — which friends and family loved when it was shared at a New Year’s party — into a business. He enrolled in the Vendor 101 course offered by The Farmers Market Pros — and My Pozole was born.
What started as a business that sold pozole at farmers’ markets has grown to include a food truck and catering operation. The menu has grown, too.
“We started with just chicken and pork pozole, but really quickly people started asking for a vegan option. So, I did some research, constantly looking for ways to mimic the appearance of beef,” Bustamonte recalls, noting that he settled on shredded jackfruit. “But it looked too much like beef,” he laughs, noting that the vegan pozole now features jackfruit that’s a bit chunkier in appearance.
The original family recipe made with pork remains the most popular, althogh chicken comes in a close second when the weather turns cold. “Any time it’s rainy or cold, chicken seems to get a lot of traction. It’s synonmous with comfort,” Bustamonte says.
The upcoming holiday season is an especially busy time since pozole is a celebratory food that’s quite popular for New Year’s Eve. My Pozole promotes it as a great holiday option this way: “Share it with your friends and family this New Years Eve! Order today and pick up at our weekend farmers’ markets or our production kitchen … Order one of our Pozole varieties or mix-and-match several options for your party or event.”
SIDEBAR 1: Getting Creative with Pozole
Poztada
When Jorge Bustamante, owner of My Pozole in San Diego, realized customers loved his steamy pork, chicken and vegan pozole but hesitated to order it when the weather turned warm, he asked himself how he could deliver the flavor those customers craved in a different way.
Poznachos (pozole nachos made with corn tortilla chips topped with pork, chicken or jackfruit pozole and a spread of vegan beans and salsa) and Poztadas (a tostada version of pozole) were the answer.
“I grew up eating pozole with a tostada on the side, so my first idea was to put pozole on top of the tostada without the broth, with beans and sour cream and salsa,” he explains. “People started eating the Poztadas and ended up breaking them up and eating them like nachos.” That led to the addition of Poznachos to My Pozole’s menu.
“We use the meat and hominy out of the pot, so you still get the flavor of the broth, without adding the broth,” Bustamante says.
SIDEBAR 2: Chef Enrique Cortes Shares Thoughts on Pozole
Editor’s Note: We met Enrique Cortes more than 20 years ago, when this talented chef won el Restaurante’s first Sassiest Salsa Contest. Over the years, he has shared his culinary insight along with some great recipes with our readers. Here, in his own words, Cortes weighs in on pozole.
Red Pozole for a White Winter
"Pozole: It's one of those meals that can be for all day — almuerzo, comida y cena/breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"As a teenager I had the fortune to try one of the best recipes in this little village in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico: Coalcoman. This village is famous for its posadas in December, their beautiful women, and pozole recipes. Here, the making of the pozole starts one day in advance; they need to prepare el nixtamal, the corn (dried maize kernels that have been treated with alkali) that will turn into hominy in the process called nixtamalization. The following day around 5 a.m. they go to the butcher shop (carniceria) — trusting the source of the meat [is important because] it's a key ingredient for the final result in quality and flavor.
"Inspired by Coalcoman, I make my Red Pozole for a White Winter using hominy plus ancho, pasilla and chile de árbol peppers for the sauce and for final touches, garnishes of a mix of cabbage, iceberg lettuce and radishes, tostadas and totopos and lime wedges. For the meat, of course, pork/lechon. The recipe is a little spicy, but of course you can give it the [spice] profile that you like.
"A VERY IMPORTANT recommendation: if your sauce turns too watery (unacceptable in pozole), puree some hominy with the broth of your cooked meats and mix it into your final product. This will give the texture that you like.
"This pozole brings me some of my best memories growing up. And as a chef, I remember one time at Riques [my former restaurant in Chicago], I cooked a winter dinner for a private company for 20 guests and It worked perfectly: The menu was only pozole."
Sidebar: A Family Favorite Wins Familia Kitchen Pozole Contest
Courtesy of Familia Kitchen
In November of 2020, Familia Kitchen — a website that honors and celebrates “abuela cooking” and features “a collection of our Latino community's favorite, traditional family recipes” — announced the winner of it’s Your Family’s Favorite Pozole contest.
Nata’s “Legendary” Pork Pozole Rojo by Isabel Reyes of Chicago emerged the winner. Click here to read her recipe.
Click here to go to the next article, Culinary Trends: Tamales