Simmer beans in 1-2 quarts of water for 30 minutes, either in the crockpot on "high" heat or in another pot over the stove. The beans will have swelled and softened slightly" drain and rinse and put them into the crockpot.

This is not traditional, but I like to add 1/2 pound of dried green split peas to the pot. If you leave these out, you may want to cut down on spices a bit or start with more lima beans.

Add ham hocks (for the authentic version) or polish sausage (pork or other), or 1/2 teaspoon salt or veggie boullion (for the veggie version).

Add onions or garlic. Add cumin, black and cayenne pepper. Add enough water to cover.

Cook 4-8 hours on "auto-shift" or "low" heat. At some point, remove the ham hocks and separate the bones and fat from the bits of meat, cutting up the meat ot return to the crockpot. When done, this dish should resemble a stew with a thick broth; the beans should be soft but not quite falling apart. If you cook it too long (my last batch went 21 hours by misadventure), it will still be tasty but will resemble split pea soup.

Serves 8-10. Great with cornbread or biscuits. Freezes well.

Jmni@Midway.Uchicago.Edu