Pozole, a wonderfully flavorful Mexican stew, is normally made with pork, but the Big Sky Café vegetarian version has a rich chile infused tomatillo and tomato base. For breakfast, the café departs deliciously from tradition and serves it over cornbread with a poached egg on top.

Vegetarian Pozole

Ingredients:

2 cups dried white pozole corn Note: Dried pozole corn is available in Latino markets.
2 cups dried blue pozole corn
4 tablespoons baking soda, divided
4 dried chilies,
a combination of pasilla, ancho and guajillo
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry skillet and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted in a dry skillet and ground
3 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 pound tomatillos, husked and quartered
16 cups (1 gallon) vegetable stock
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/2 cup queso fresco (Mexican Cheese) can be found in some specialty markets and on the internet
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1. Soak each color of pozole corn overnight in separate bowls of water.

2. Drain the pozole corn. Place each color of corn in a separate medium saucepan and add enough water to each to cover. Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to each pot. Bring both to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until tender, adding more water as needed and skimming foam from the surface. Drain off the cooking water and rinse the corn.

3. While the pozole is cooking, soak the dried chilies in hot water. When soft, remove the seeds and dice.

4. In a separate stock pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and coriander and cook until the onions are translucent.

5. Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, diced chilies, vegetable stock and cooked pozole corn. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer about 1 1/2 hours. The stew is done when the corn is cooked through.

6. Add the lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Spoon the pozole into bowls and garnish with queso fresco, toasted pumpkin seeds and the remaining cilantro.

Makes: 12 servings

Source: Adapted from an article by Barbara Hansen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer