Instructions: Cook beans till done with a third of the chopped onion, 2/3 of the garlic and a bay leaf. [Ed.-Original recipe is written in a conversational, oral-tradition style; liquid amount isnt given, and Im not a cook who measures much, so I cant tell you by cups. But there should be enough liquid left after cooking the beans for about another hour of slow simmer.]

If using parched corn, simmer till thoroughly cooked and drain. Simmer mushrooms for half an hour, and keep them in the cooking broth. Fry remainder of the onion in oil with the rest of the garlic and the cumin.

Combine all the above with the remaining ingredients and simmer about an hour, keeping an eye on liquid level. Tomato paste can be added late to avoid scorching.

Rain Says: This dish is too substantial for rice; serve with a NON-SWEET flat cornbread like tortillas or hoecakes, and garnish with chopped raw onion or a coarsely cut salsa or tangy chutney. Good with buttermilk or iced tea/coffee, and would probably be great with a red Zinfandel, a good gutsy burgundy, or another dry red with some backbone. Cantaloupe is great for dessert on the unlikely chance you have room.

NOTES :
This is a recipe from a novel, Ursula LeGuins splendid _Always Coming Home_. Its the favorite main dish of an imagined tribe living in California in a post-technological future.

From an invented culture or not, its delicious and really sticks with you, and I make it a lot.

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