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5A Wednesday, December 25, 2013 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh Posole: Terrific winter warmer Winter has sent many of us scurrying to the kitchen for something — anything — warm and welcoming. For me, it's posole. This classic hominy-based stew of Mexico and the American Southwest, also known as pozole, is one of the great homey dishes of the world. It boasts depths of flavors and a mix of inviting textures. Properly garnished, it can also be visually dazzling. Posole is deeply rooted in Mexico, with a long preColumbian history and links to Aztec religious rituals. It is made from nixtamalized corn, a process in which the shucked kernels are cooked in an alkaline solution, often limewater, until they soften and puff. You can start with dried posole, which must be soaked and cooked in a pressure cooker, or you can take a shortcut with canned hominy. Some sort of meat-and-chile combo rounds out the dish's basics, but the garnishes and spicing range far and wide. I was introduced to posole in another lifetime by a young woman who had grown up on a cattle ranch near Estancia, N.M. She could cook as well as she sang, and she sang like an angel. The secret to her posole was toasted coriander seed, which added a unique note to a dish that can veer toward the bland unless you have a properly bold hand. But posole recipes are made to be played with, with ingredients coming and going depending on one's mood. They are akin to chile dishes that way: highly individual, even idiosyncratic, reflecting the mood of the day and even the weather. Writing about this dish feels appropriate at this time of year. I first encountered it when I was living in Arizona, where posole is a Christmas Eve tradition for many. Dig in, and happy holidays. PORK POSOLE WITH GREEN CHILES This is a classic New Mexican posole, with a nice balance of hominy, pork and green chiles. By William Porter. Serves 8-10 2 1⁄2 pounds pork butt 5 quarts water 1 head garlic, halved, plus 4 additional cloves peeled 5 bay leaves 2 white onions, peeled and quartered 1 medium-sized (29-ounce) can posole or white hominy 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano 1 teaspoon coriander seed 1 teaspoon cumin 1 pound roasted green chiles (preferably Hatch), diced Cilantro, 8 sprigs Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste In a large pot, put the pork, water, garlic, bay leaves and onions. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about2 hours until the pork grows tender and falls apart. During this time, skim any impurities from the surface of the water. Remove the pork and let cool. Shred or dice into 1⁄2 -inch cubes. Remove the bay leaves and set aside the garlic and onions. Add more water to the pot if needed. In a colander, drain and rinse hominy. Add it to the pot along with the oregano and coriander seed. Put the onions, garlic, cumin, green chiles and cilantro in a blender. Purée with some of the pork broth. Return purée to the hominy pot along with the shredded pork. Season to taste with salt and pepper for another 15 minutes. Garnish as you wish and serve. VEGETARIAN POSOLE WITH RED CHILE This recipe comes courtesy of two people, one no longer with us, the other very much alive. The late Clayton Oden developed this recipe for the Corn Dance Cafe in Santa Fe, which he ran with his mother, Loretta Barrett Oden. The latter shared it with my longtime friend Judy Walker, who is the food editor at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the newspaper where the recipe first ran. Serves 10-12 12 dried long red New Mexico chiles 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄2 head of garlic, peeled, chopped Large pinch of Mexican oregano 1⁄2 large onion, chopped 1 30-ounce can white hominy, drained and rinsed Salt to taste Garnishes (see list above) Rinse chiles lightly if dusty. Break open the chiles and remove the seeds and veins. Dry roast on a griddle or in a skillet, pressing down with spatula until they sizzle and soften a bit. Put the chiles in a medium-sized pot. Cover with fresh water and gently boil until chiles are soft. Let cool. In food processor or blender, mix the chiles and just enough water to form a paste. Strain. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sweat the garlic, oregano, onion and salt until onions are translucent. Add the posole, cover with water and simmer 30 minutes. When the posole is softened, add it to the chile and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture reaches a hard simmer. To serve, ladle the posole into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice. POSOLE GARNISHES A bowl of posole can be garnished any number of ways. Among the traditional toppings: Sliced radishes Lime wedges Shredded green cabbage Fresh cilantro Diced scallions Toasted corn tortilla strips 10 hot food trends to expect in 2014 Move over kale. Experts predict cauliflower to be the hot vegetable of 2014. In 2013, foodies experienced the cronut, the ramen burge and an explosive plant-based protein market. As the year winds down, it's time to predict what 2014¢s food and nutrition scene will entail. And it looks like food shopping will move from chore to explore. Here's what some top experts predict: Socially responsible companies take the lead. According to a survey by ConAgra Foods, 62 percent of consumers "appreciate, and want to support, companies that donate to important social causes." Brands have become more transparent, and with that comes adhering to a certain amount of social responsibility. Consumers will be drawn to those brands that deliver a consumer-friendly product, while also supporting initiatives that align with their particular beliefs and views. Responsible/edible food packaging. Consumers are becoming more educated about what's lining the shelves at their supermarkets, including an increased awareness of not only what's in the product, but also what it's packaged in. In fact, some companies have taken this a step further through the use of new technologies to create edible wrappers. According to JWT, a global marketing and advertising agency that compiles a trend report every year, Bob's – a burger chain in Brazil – now serves its burgers in packaging you can eat, while Los Angeles-based ice cream truck brand Coolhaus wraps ice cream sandwiches in edible material. Could these new wrappers become a lowcalorie, high-fiber side dish to packaged meals? Tech-savvy shoppers. Grocers recognize that online food shopping and technology-involved shopping is the future. Look out for more online ordering from your local stores and even a drive-through window for easy pick up. Additionally, apps on your phone will allow consumers to "learn more about an ingredient or health claim (on a food package) by simply focusing the mobile device on the product's label." Fast food may become even faster through the use of an E-ZPass. Jet-setting around the world … at home. International flavors are going to make appearances in our own kitchens. Seasonings and spices not only jazz up a dish, but they also offer an array of health benefits. Snack happy. Several consumer reports this past year highlighted Americans' 24/7 snacking habits, and supermarkets will make it a point to showcase healthier options loaded with health benefits. "Look for supermarkets to capitalize on the healthier snacking trend in 2014 by replacing traditional higher-sugar, higherfat snacks at the checkout with better-for-you on-thego offerings," says "Supermarket Guru" Phil Lempert. This goal will also jive with the FDA's new trans-fat ban. Waste not, want not. Good Housekeeping magazine reports that nearly 40 percent of the food in this country goes uneaten. GH highlights the importance of trying to make the most of leftovers and not over-buying. Make a shop- ping list and check it twice so you don't bring home items already in your pantry. Tea time. We may not be located in England, but the tea craze is for real here in the United States, too. In fact, tea is the most globalfriendly beverage. Consider that Starbucks paired with Teavana to open its first Tea Bar – I attended the grand opening in New York a few months ago, and from the looks of it, I'd say tea sets are gong to be a hot item this holiday season. New superfoods. Every year, claims emerge labeling different foods as "super." While some deserve the title, others fall short. We've seen the kale trend and quinoa craze, and cheers for chia. This year, get ready for new super grains like freekah and teff to take center school. Experts predict that supermarkets will become the new culinary mecca. Many stores already offer cooking demos or "community cooking centers" that allow shoppers to come together and learn from one another. The supermarket is a classroom for adults, and I implore you to bring along the kiddies to teach them how to find foods that will help them grow and flourish. According to Lempert, 2014's food trends will follow customers' ever-evolving "relationships with merchants, brands and food." Let's raise a glass and ring in a new year of healthy relationships! What trends do you think will emerge in 2014? Please share your thoughts in the comments. Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns and feedback. stage. And prepare to shine a light on the year's hot veggie: cauliflower. You'll see colorful cauliflowers and find them in places you wouldn't think of looking, like mashed potatoes. "Free-from" foods. Look out for increased competition among allergy-friendly foods. As allergies are on the rise, more companies are producing products that are free from gluten, soy, nuts, dairy and so on. Experts predict we're about to see more products made from coconut and, yes, even more gluten-free flours. But don't be fooled by the word "free," because it could actually be costly – a gluten-free donut is still a donut with just as much fat, sugar and calories as it's regular counterpart. The new culinary Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, has been owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, for more than three decades and she is the author of Read It Before You Eat It. As a renowned motivational speaker, author, media personality, and award-winning dietitian, Taub-Dix has found a way to communicate how to make sense of science. Her website is BetterThanDieting.com. 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