1 package dried small white beans
2 cups cubed smoked ham
1 ham hock
1/2 cup sofrito
salt, pepper, adobo, oregano and sazon
2 teaspoons capers (no juice)
1 can tomato sauce

Pick any foreign objects from dried beans and wash in water. Let sit in water overnight. Wash and drain one last time and place in a pot of boiling water with ham hock and cook for 1 hour. Remove ham hock and retrieve whatever meat it had then discard.

In a pan, add a little olive oil and saute ham til brown then remove. Add sofrito, seasonings, tomato sauce and capers and mix around. Return ham back to pan and mix around. Add 1/3 cup of bean water and let simmer for 10 minutes.

The pot of beans is still cooking at this point. Add pan of sofrito to pot and stir well. Let cook another 20-30 minutes. If too much water, raise heat and reduce, if not enough, add water til it reaches your consistency.

Note: Consistency of beans should be rich like a stew! Let sit for 10 minutes before serving over rice.

Submitted by: Andy Natal