My Second Date With Bobby

One word:  Posole; it's just one more thing to LOVE about Bobby Flay. 
      When Bobby called me to taste test his recipe I decided to to try it out on The Big Guy because soup is one of the few things that taste good to him since he's been on this the post-chemo diet. Okay, so maybe I'm a little delusional and have a touch of sympathy-chemo brain myself. Shut up. He did too call me.

Anyhow, since I am cooking my way through his Mesa Grill cookbook, tonight I made the Chicken and Mushroom Posole Soup. It just double-stamps the reason that Bobby Flay is Bobby Flay! *sigh* 

I know that pork is usually the basis for Posole but this recipe calls for chicken. I like the idea of roasting the chicken breasts whole, rather than sauteing them in cut up pieces. At that high temp (425) it crisped up nicely and kept the juices in.

I only deviated from the recipe a bit:  I used fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried porcini because a) I'm not a fan of the dried variety, and b) I had fresh shiitakes on hand, so it just made sense. Also, the recipe calls for "1 cup of canned hominy" and that is just not anywhere near enough if you are going to call yourself "Posole". Shame on you Bobby, for scimping.  I used one of the big 29 oz. cans, which is about three cups, and no one was complaining.

These anchos are still soft...not like the dried out, crunchy things you sometimes find.

Ya all know that ancho chiles are just dried Poblano peppers right?  It's like calling here kitty, kitty to a mountain lion; it's same breed of cat but a completely different animal. The same can be said about this pepper. The poblano pepper is mild but once dried to the ancho chile is becomes slightly sweet, with a mild to medium bite, and a distinctive smoky flavor. 
  Now that I'm living in the Big City (and not Hickville) I'm able to find big, beautiful, still-soft, ancho chiles and they made all the difference in the world in this Posole. You can't even believe how wonderful these chiles smell! Lean in...a little more...closer...can you smell them? (Note to my Hickville friends...if you want me to bring you some fat ancho chiles leave me a message here and I'll do it.)

Speaking of the anchos, they added quite a nice bite to this Posole, and even though Bobby said to "garnish" with a lime, I took the liberty of squeezing some fresh lime juice into the pot. It cut the heat just enough for any sissies at the table. (Me.)

I finished it with a handful of white cheddar, some crushed tortilla chips, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge and this Posole was perfect! Thanks Bobby, love ya, call me, mean it! ♥

Click on the "Soups-Salads-Side" tab to see the recipe.