Pozole Verde (Green Hominy Soup)

This meatless pozole gets its color and depth from roasted tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeño, with hominy and kale to make it a meal. Stock up on tomatillos, peppers and kale at the market while they're in season, and don't skip the toppings.

Serves 6 to 8 · 1 hour

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 white onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 pounds tomatillos, husked
• 3 large poblano chiles
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 lime, plus wedges for serving (optional)
• 4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped (or about 8 ounces other hardy greens, 4 packed cups chopped)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans hominy, drained
• 4 cups vegetable broth

For the toppings

• 2 to 3 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• Queso fresco (about 3 tablespoons per bowl)
• Crema or sour cream (about 2 tablespoons per bowl)
• Flaky salt
• Sliced avocado (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 475°F. Pull the cilantro leaves and tender stems off the thick stems. Put the thick stems on a large sheet pan and refrigerate the leaves for serving.
2. Halve and peel the onion. Cut one half into chunky wedges for the pan and finely dice the other. Peel the garlic; put 3 whole cloves on the pan and mince the other 3. Quarter the tomatillos, stem and seed the poblanos and jalapeño, halve the lime, and add them all to the pan.
3. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil, sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of salt and toss. Roast until well browned but still juicy, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt, lower to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, until soft, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, cumin and oregano for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the kale. Cover, turn the heat to low and let it wilt, stirring occasionally.
5. When the pan comes out of the oven, put the poblanos in a bowl and cover with a plate to steam. Let the other vegetables cool for 5 minutes, then squeeze the roasted lime halves over them and discard the peels.
6. Scrape the pan juices and browned bits into the soup pot. Move the rest of the roasted vegetables to a food processor and, with the lid vent open so steam can escape, pulse until combined but still chunky. Add to the pot.
7. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the hominy and broth, season with salt, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
8. Slip the skins off the poblanos, chop them roughly and add them to the pot. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until the flavors meld. Taste and salt generously, which balances the tartness of the tomatillos.
9. Ladle into bowls and top with cabbage, radishes, jalapeño, queso fresco, crema, the reserved cilantro and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve with avocado and lime wedges, if you like.

Tips

• Chicken broth works in place of vegetable broth if you don't need the soup to be vegetarian.

Adapted from NYT Cooking.