A streamlined version of New Mexican pork and hominy stew

In the insulated heat of the multicooker, the pork cooked up ultra-tender. (File photo: Annie Thorne/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)

Also known as posole, this fragrant and spicy New Mexican stew combines toothsome hominy and tender chunks of pork in a mildly spicy, verdant base. We wanted to use the multicooker to make a streamlined version that would maintain the stew’s characteristically complex flavour.

Plenty of onion plus jalapenos and garlic offered a bold base, while a bit of chipotle chile in adobo brought smoky depth and spice.

In the insulated heat of the multicooker, the pork cooked up ultra-tender. We also found that adding canned hominy before pressure or slow cooking allowed it to soak up lots of flavour from the porky broth, and the fluffy, chewy kernels released some starch, which nicely thickened the stew.

Minced cilantro, stirred in at the end, added bright, fresh flavour. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Serve with diced tomato, diced avocado, and thinly sliced radishes.

CHIPOTLE PORK AND HOMINY STEW

Servings: 6-8

Pressure cook total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Slow cook total time: 5 hours, 40 minutes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped fine

2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed

2 (15 ounce) cans white or yellow hominy, rinsed

8 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick

2 bay leaves

3 pounds boneless pork butt roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Using highest saute or browning function, heat oil in multi-cooker until shimmering. Add onions and jalapenos and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in flour, garlic, chipotle, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in broth, hominy, carrots, and bay leaves. Season pork with salt and pepper and stir into multicooker.

— To pressure cook: Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 25 minutes.

Turn off multicooker and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

— To slow cook: Lock lid in place and open pressure release valve. Select low slow cook function and cook until pork is tender, 4 to 5 hours. (If using Instant Pot, select high slow cook function and increase cooking range to 6 to 7 hours.) Turn off multicooker and carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

Discard bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges.

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Nutrition information per serving: 364 calories; 103 calories from fat; 12 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 102 mg cholesterol; 916 mg sodium; 22 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 35 g protein.

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For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Chipotle Pork and Hominy Stew in “Multicooker Perfection .”

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America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.