TAMPA, Fla. — As we enjoy Halloween, we look ahead to Day of the Dead celebrations culminating on Friday, November 2.

  • Pozole Rojos con Pollo at Nueva Cantina in Tampa 
  • Nueva Cantina

It's a Mexican holiday honoring loved ones who’ve passed away by creating altars and preparing traditional foods.

In this installment of the Chef’s Kitchen, Virginia Johnson heads to Nueva Cantina in Tampa to learn more about the foods cooked and served during this sacred and colorful holiday.

Sweet breads, tamales and Pozole are some of traditional holiday food.

Nueva Cantina will be having Dia de los Muertos celebrations at both their St. Petersburg and Tampa restaurants. The restaurants will be serving Pozole Rojos con Pollo, which is hominy (big corn kernels), red chili peppers and chicken soup. 

Recipe:

Pozole Rojos con Pollo

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

For the Stock:

½ cup White Onion, chopped

½ cup Cilantro, chopped

1 Head of Garlic, sliced vertically

2 Bay Leaves

2 Sprigs of Thyme

6 cups water

1 tbsp. Salt

3 lbs. Skin-on Chicken Thighs

2 Chicken Breasts

4 cups Water

2 25 oz. cans Hominy

For the Chile Puree:

5 large Guajillo Chiles (about 1.5 oz.)

3 Ancho Chiles (about 1.5 oz.)

3 Chiles de Arbol (use 2 if you'd like less heat)

4 Garlic Cloves

¼ cup White Onion, chopped

¼ cup Cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. White Vinegar

1 tsp. Mexican Oregano

¼ tsp. Cumin

½ tbsp. Kosher salt

½ cup Chile cooking liquid

1 tbsp. Vegetable oil

To Serve

Sliced Radishes

Shredded Cabbage

Chopped White Onion

Lime Wedges

Oregano

Salt

Tostadas

Tortillas

Instructions

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, cook 1 tbsp. of vegetable (or olive oil) on medium-low heat.

Add the chopped white onion, and cook for about five minutes until the onion starts to become translucent.

Next, add the chopped cilantro, and the head of garlic (exposed cloves facing down), and cook for two minutes. Add the thyme and bay leaves, and cook for two more minutes.

Pour in the 6 cups of water and sprinkle in the salt.

Add the chicken thighs, and the chicken breasts and bring your stock to a simmer.

Once the stock has reached a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Once the stock and chicken have cooked for an hour, remove the chicken, then strain your stock into a large bowl, and return it to your stock pot or Dutch oven.

Add the additional 4 cups of water and the cans of hominy with the liquid they're canned with.

Bring the mixture back up to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

While that cooks, shred the chicken and make the chile puree: In a medium sized saucepan, add the dried chiles and enough water to cover, bring it to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to soften.

Remove the softened peppers and add them to a blender along with the rest of the chile puree ingredients, including the ½ cup of the soaking liquid, and blend until smooth.

Dump the rest of the chile soaking liquid out of the saucepan and heat up the vegetable oil over medium heat.  Once the oil's hot, carefully add the chile puree and cook for about 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens and turns a slightly darker shade of red. Remove from heat.

After the hominy has been cooking in the stock for 30 minutes, add the puree to the stock and hominy along with the shredded chicken and cook for a final 30 minutes.

Taste for salt at this time.

To serve, plate your pozole and top with your favorite garnishes.