Tex Mex White Hominy Bake

A couple of weekends back, my friend Elisa took me to Casa Iberica, a Spanish/South American deli in Fitzroy.  It was fun to check out all the products that Woolies would never dream of stocking.  Also, because Elisa's mum is Peruvian, she had a working knowledge of some of the more unusual products, so it was an educational trip.  Elisa treated me to strawberry Frunas (fruit chews) and a kind of Spanish drink mix called Chica, and shared an alfajor with me.  Yummo!

While in Casa Iberica, I bought a tin of white hominy, which I had heard of but never tried.  It is pretty hard to find here, so I was keen to buy it while I could.  White hominy is white corn kernels that have had their hull and germ removed.  Elisa says it is nice served as a side dish.

Now being the proud owner of a tin of white hominy, the question was - what should I make with it?  I found a great recipe called Stella's Tex Mex Hominy Bake on Lone Star Plate.   It consists of white hominy, kidney beans and rice.  I de-veganised the recipe by substituting Sour Supreme with sour cream, nutritional yeast  with parmesan cheese, and vegan cheese with regular cheese.  The top of the bake is lattice work tortilla strips (or in my case, just good old strips of pita pocket bread):

If you think it looks delicious - it is.  It tastes superb, with just the right amount of spice, and the cheese adds a warm, filling touch to the dish.  The tortilla lattice work provides a crunchy contrast to the soft, "meaty" filling.  I would definitely make this again.  As I only used half the tin of white hominy, this gives me an opening to do so!