Pozole is a quintessential Mexican, spicy soup — sometimes tomato-based, sometimes green tomatillo-based, and sometimes based with clear broth. It's a staple there, found in most restaurants that serve typical food. Since it's often made with a pork base, we adapted the recipe using the stock from our own chicken soup. Despite the ubiquity of pozole, the specific mix of flavors varies widely everywhere it's served. Our home is just another one of these places.

The reason there are several steps to this recipe is that the chicken stock adds the core flavor of the soup. After that, the stock is blended in with the Mexican touches of chili, tomato, hominy. (Note: Because the blending step is done in three portions, this recipe does not halve easily.) Then finally, the matzo balls are added. Stick with it, though — the three alternating Mexican and Jewish steps in the recipe are worth it.

For the chicken stock:
3 quarts water
1 whole, skinless, chicken breast, bone in, cut in half
1 white onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 small leek, white portion cut in half lengthwise
1 cup packed parsley sprigs with stems
1 cup packed cilantro sprigs with stems
1/2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher chicken bouillon powder

For the pozole:
9 cups of prepared chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce — roughly 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large ripe tomato, cut in thirds
1 small white onion, cut in thirds
1 large garlic clove, peeled, cut in thirds
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded, cut in thirds (If you are sensitive to spiciness, reduce or eliminate the jalapeño and chili flakes)
3/4 cup tightly packed cilantro sprigs, thick part of stems removed
3/4 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans Springfield brand white hominy, drained

For the matzo balls:
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Streit's matzoh meal

Optional garnishes:
Dried oregano
Finely chopped white onion
Finely chopped radishes
Lime wedges
Cubed avocado

For the chicken stock: In a large stock pot combine 3 quarts of cold water, chicken, onion, garlic cloves, leek, parsley, cilantro, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that comes to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Add pepper, bouillon and 2 teaspoons of salt and stir to combine. Cover and continue simmering about 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender and just cooked. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle shred to make 3-4 cups. Set aside. Uncover pot and allow the stock to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the stock through a strainer and discard boiled vegetables.

For the pozole: Working in three separate batches, combine (in each batch) 3 cups of chicken stock with 1/3 of the following ingredients: tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, chili flakes and salt in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Pour mixture into a large pot with hominy and shredded chicken and repeat the process with remaining ingredients two more times. When all the ingredients have been pureed and added to the pot, stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim foam off of surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

For the matzo balls: In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an egg beater, then add water, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add matzo meal and stir thoroughly with wooden spoon. Set aside uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. While the matzoh mixture is resting, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Remove matzo mixture from the refrigerator. With damp hands form small balls about the size of a walnut to make 15 matzo balls. When the water comes to a boil, carefully add the balls to the boiling water. Once the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until consistency is fluffy and matzo balls are cooked throughout.

Ladle soup into bowls and add one or two matzo balls per serving. If desired, serve with garnish ingredients.