Instructions: Posole is a feasts day favorite among the Pueblo Indians who live in the Rio Grande Vaslley. Its special flavor and character, however, have made it a year-around favorite of all New Mexicans.

Place the posole and water in a large, heavy pot; bring to a simmer, cover and cook slowly until the kernels burst and are almost tender (about 3 1/2 hours).

When the posole is almost done, lightly brown onions and garlic in in a skillet in 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil; drain on paper towels. Add another 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil to the skillet and brown the pork cubes, a few at a time. Drain on paper towels.

Add onion, garlic, pork and all remaining ingredients to the posole. Mix well and simmer covered for 3 more hours. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Serve in large soup plates and pass a rich red chile sauce for topping, if desired. Serve with warm tortillas.

Yield: 8-10 servings

There are a lot of variations on this theme. One which we like a lot involves adding red chile sauce (the kind you make with just pureed red chiles and NO tomatos) to the mixture during the last couple of hours of cooking and adjusting the amount of jalapenos accordingly. This, of course, makes a red posole rather than the posole verde of the recipe above.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.