If you have never heard of posole, you are in for a seriously delicious treat. Posole is the same as hominy, kernels of corn that have been soaked in limewater, then hulled and dried. These are whole, not like the ones that are crushed for making grits. You can get some extraordinarily good posole from Rancho Gordo in Napa, or from a Mexican grocery, or from most anywhere that beans, nuts, seeds and grains are sold in bulk. Americans eat loads of grain, including corn, but not like this. Posole is the real deal.

This past Friday, I made this recipe — a crockpot filled with chickpeas & posole — for the weekend. Serve it with a generous shake of black pepper for lunch or dinner (maybe with a nice tomato salad on the side), and even with a drizzle of honey for breakfast. Plan on leaving the crockpot on the counter all weekend set to warm, adding a little water as necessary to keep things moist, or you can pack it up and freeze small batches for later. Multi-purpose crockpot meals that make the house smell wonderful.

3/4 c. dry garbanzo beans (chickpeas), picked over
3/4 c. posole, picked over
1 large onion, sliced thinly
6-8 cups water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
3/4 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. spicy paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Add all the ingredients to a crockpot, and turn heat to high. Leave overnight, or at least 6-8 hours. At first it will seem like there is much too much water, but don’t worry. Check the water level after 4-6 hours to make sure it still reaches just barely to the surface of the ingredients. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Bon appetit!