Red Posole: Using Ancho Chiles, Hominy & Queso Fresco for the First Time

I made this recipe the other day - Rachael Ray's Red Pork Posole - sans the pickled onions. It was delicious!

It took me three to four hours and was an education in using a couple of new ingredients (to me).

Ancho chiles: 


I'd seen these packages in the grocery stores, but never knew what you did with these black, shriveled up peppers. Now I know! I technically bought pasilla and ancho chiles, but that's all they had at the store.

 

 I took them out of the package, per the recipe ...

... used my kitchen shears for actual food (usually they're used to cut anything but) and removed the stems and seeds from the ancho chiles ...

... resulting in quite the mess on the counter when I was finished.

Then I threw those in a pot with chicken stock, until it basically reconstituted the peppers.

And then, I put it all in a food processor (love having the right tools for the job!) ...

... and the result is a red paste, which I poured into the posole.

Hominy:

I've also never used hominy, which apparently is just really big corn kernels, with an interesting texture. The amount the recipe called for was a bit much for my taste, so I'll probably cut back on it next time, but I really didn't mind it overall.

Here's one blogger's take on hominy: H is for Hominy! What Is It and How Is It Used?

Queso Fresco:

I've had queso fresco, but never purchased it myself. I was expected to find it already shredded, but I had to buy it in one full round of cheese. Queso fresco is a creamy mild Mexican cheese. I took it and shredded it and it crumbled into how I usually see it in restaurants.