green chili hominy casserole!

Yeah, casserole!!! I can hear the excitement build across the internet!

But this is a hip casserole with chillis and hominy! Not like your grandmother’s with its condensed soups! (…Can a casserole be hip?…)

I bought a can of hominy last week at the Grocery Outlet because I love a steal; I love the gross out; and I like hominy a lot. I’ve never cooked anything with it before, so I scoured the internet and finally happened upon Homesick Texan’, an awesome food blog written in New York by, you guessed it, a homesick Texan lady with a penchant for cooking up delicious Southwestern eats. Her photos of this casserole made it look so delectable that I thought this would be the perfect way to use hominy in a comforting, warm dish during a dreary week here in Seattle.

One of the coolest things about this recipe is it teaches you how to remove the skin from poblano chillis! I eagerly waited by the oven as the skin of the poblanos blackened, charred, and popped. So cool! Plus, with this new knowledge of chili skins, I think I’ll be well-prepared to make chili rellenos and other delicious things! Again, and I can hear your excitement! Or maybe that’s Christian talking. Anywho…

I’ve made a few changes to the recipe in order to make it a tad spicier and lower the fat content. I’m going to end this now because I really want seconds.

lv, molly

Serves 4-6

3 poblano chillies or anaheim chillies
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casing and crumbled, OR soyrizo or Field Roast (chipotle flavor)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans of hominy, drained
8 ounces low fat sour cream
1 tsp cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 C low fat shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste

Roast the poblano chillies under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag; close it tight; and let the chile steam for 20 minutes. Take the chillies out of the bag, and rub off the skin. Remove stem, and seeds and dice chillies.

Preheat the oven to 350.

If using meat…
On medium-low heat, heat the vegetable oil and then cook the crumbled chorizo while occasionally stirring in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet until brown, about 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spatula, remove the chorizo and drain any excess grease from the skillet, leaving 1 teaspoon. Add the diced onions and jalapeños while occasionally stirring, cook on medium-low heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Return the chorizo to the pan.

If using soyrizo or Field Roast…
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the diced onions and jalapeños while occasionally stirring, cook on medium-low heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the soy chorizo or Field Roast.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the diced poblano chile, chorizo, hominy, sour cream, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, lime juice and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined, taste and add salt and black pepper and adjust seasonings. Top with remaining the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.