Preparation

Set a rack on the oven’s highest shelf and preheat the broiler. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast under the broiler until blackened on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the peppers and use tongs to rotate them every 2 minutes.

Immediately transfer the peppers to a zipper bag and seal the bag to steam the peppers and make them easier to peel. After 20 minutes remove the peppers from the bag, slice off the stems, peel off the skins, remove and discard the seeds, chop the peppers, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften but do not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and stir continuously for 1 minute longer. Or, if you have a slow-cooker with a sauté setting, then use that instead of a skillet.

Transfer the sautéed onions and spices to your slow cooker and add the broth, pork shoulder, hominy or garbanzo beans, peppers, and the remaining teaspoon of salt (only if your broth is low-sodium). Set to low heat and the timer to 4 or more hours, or until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a slow-cooker this recipe can be made on the stovetop in a heavy-bottomed soup pot with a lid but you’ll have to keep an eye on it to ensure it stays at a slow simmer.

Just before serving, spoon off excess fat (if needed), add the cabbage (if desired), 3/4 of the cilantro (save remainder for garnishing), and lime juice and cook just until the cabbage softens. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or lime juice, if needed.

Ladle into individual bowls, add any assortment of your favorite mix-ins and garnishes including cooked brown rice, cilantro, sliced radishes, chopped avocado, crumbled cheese, and/or lime wedges, and serve.

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in individual portions.

Elyse Kopecky is a whole foods chef currently co-authoring a cookbook for runners, Run Fast Eat Slow, with Olympic marathoner and longtime friend, Shalane Flanagan. After 10 years working for Nike and EA Sports, Elyse decided to pursue her passion for talking and writing about food. She went to NYC to study culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute and has taken cooking classes throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Sign-up for sneak peeks of Shalane and Elyse’s book at runfasteatslow.com or follow along @ElyseKopecky.