Instructions: Boil 1 cup of the water. Put the chiles in a bowl, cover with the water, and let soak 20 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid. Stem and seed the chiles. In a blender or food processor, puree them with the reserved soaking liquid.

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately-high heat. Add about a third of the pork. Brown well on all sides, about 8 minutes, and remove. Brown the remaining meat in two more batches, adding oil if needed. Return the pork to the pot with any accumulated juice. Stir in the chile puree, the hominy, the remaining quart of water, the garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to a simmer over moderately-high heat, reduce the heat and cook at a bare simmer, partially covered, until the meat is falling-apart tender, about 3 hours. Serve topped with the red onion.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Wine Recommendation: Pop open a cold bottle of beer with this Mexican-inspired dish. Or try a fruity red wine, such as Beaujolais or a California Gamay-based wine, which can be even fruitier, if less complex, than the Beaujolais.

Comments: The spiciness of this dish depends on the chiles you choose. We suggest the moderately hot dried ancho chiles, which are increasingly available in the produce sections of supermarkets. If you cant find them, though, dried, powdered chiles to taste are fine too - or even chili powder (a blend of peppers, herbs, spices and salt).

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.