Bill Steen Posole Recipe

by Dena Cowan, Curator of Collections

For the recipe below, I went seeking the guidance and expertise of someone who has made it all her life. I called upon our friend Armida Elena Contreras de Maldonado, from the town of La Estancia on the Rio Sonora. Of course there are many fabulous cooks from that region, but in my small world she has no equal. She is especially known for her cakes, which are served at birthdays, quinceaneras, and weddings up and down the Rio Sonora Valley.

This recipe for posole de trigo comes from her cookbook. Of course, the way this stew is prepared varies according to the maker, the town, and the available ingredients. Feel free to experiment and modify this wonderful dish to your own liking. Dena Cowan

Photo by Dena Cowan

POSOLE de TRIGO de MILPA Contributed by Bill Steen

• 4-5 quarts water

• 1 cup wheat berries(trigo)

• 1 bulb garlic ( ajo)

• 3 small potatoes ( papas)

• 3 carrots cut into 2-3 pieces ( zanahorias)

• 3 summer squash cut in half ( calabaza aorta)

• 2/3 cup peas ( chicharos)

• 1 pound of green beans cut into 2-3 inch pieces( ejotes)

• 2/3 cup beans ( frijoles)

• 2/3 cup garbanzos ( garbanzos)

• 1 bunch purslane, remove the large stems ( verdolagas)

• 1 bunch wild amaranth greens, large stems removed ( bledos)

• 4 pounds of mixed bones ( optional)

• Salt to taste

VARIATIONS OF THE RECIPE INCLUDE :

• 2 #’s beef neck bones ( pescuezo con hueso)

• 2 #s beef tail ( cola de res)

• 1 green chile ( chile verde)

• 1 white onion ( cebolla blanca)

• 1 # unpeeled sweet potato ( camote)

• 2 ears tender white corn ( elotes blancos)

• Cooked nopalitos

• Fava beans

• Cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot that has a capacity of at least 6 quarts, put the bones, water, and salt. When foam appears at the top of the pot, lower the flame and remove all that you can. Add the beans, garbanzos, garlic, onions, if included.

Cook the wheat separately in 2 quarts of water until it flowers ( opens).

Put the purslane and wild amaranth in a container and pour boiling water over them. Leave for a short time, then remove and drain.

When the meat is cooked, add the vegetables. Armida doesn’t specify any particular order, but it seems that the potatoes, carrots, and green beans would be the first, and then after 5 minutes or so, the peas, squash, amaranth, and purslane.

Add the wheat, salt, additional water if needed, and cook until the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 minutes.

When ready, the ideal accompaniments include tortillas de harina ( flour), queso fresco, chiltepines, and perhaps a squeeze of lime.