Turkey leftovers nearly always transform into soup in our house. My father started the tradition by roasting the nearly picked clean turkey bones before simmering them in a highly seasoned broth with chopped vegetables. Shreds of leftover turkey and crunchy croutons turned the humble beginnings into a satisfying, full meal soup.
All that goodness came to mind while enjoying an amazing bowl of red pozole at Pozoleria Tia Calla located in Taxco, Mexico. Cooks, as earnest as my dad, chop vegetables to simmer in chile-flavored broths. They add fluffy, chewy corn kernels to make the classic Mexican dish known as pozole. These corn kernels (white or yellow) have undergone a centuries-old process called nixtamalization. That means a long soak in a calcium hydroxide solution to render field corn more digestible and cook-friendly. After the soak, traditional Mexican cooks spend time hand-peeling off the outer hulls of each kernel before they are simmered to tenderness in a rich broth….