Red Beans Soup

Who does not enjoy a good bowl of red beans "con todos los hierros" as people say in Cuba? This recipe makes about 8 servings and can also be served in the traditional Cuban way over white rice. Try and enjoy it!
Ingredients:

10 cups of water (2 cups to be added)
1 pack (12 oz.) of red kidney beans, well rinsed (canned below)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 inch cube of salt pork
3 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1/4 green pepper
4 oz. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. salt

Directions:

In Dutch oven, soak beans for 1 hour in 10 cups of water. Add 2 cups of water. Cook uncovered at medium-low heat until beans are tender (about 1-1/2 hours).

In blender or food processor, blend onion and green pepper together (add 1 or 2 Tbsp. of water if necessary). Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the garlic cloves and sauté until browned. Add the onion/pepper mixture to the oil, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes until the sauce is a deep, rich red. This mixture is called sofrito.

Stir the sofrito into the beans. Add the salt and allow to simmer another 1/2 an hour or until tender.

Serve as a soup or over white rice.

Serves 6-8.

Note: When you're making any Cuban-style bean "potaje", if it doesn't thicken properly, for whatever reason, scoop out some of the beans and puree them in the blender. Add the pureed beans back into the pot to help the thickening process.