I modified this recipe for what I had on-hand, which was limited, so I made adjustments to add flavor. No need to add salt. By the way, adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the already-boiled soaking water did indeed soften the beans - but DO NOT add the baking soda to boiling water like I did, or you'll be cleaning your stove top for awhile! Using the baking soda for the soak really helped soften the beans and lessen the cooking time. Be sure to drain and rinse after they soak. I used kidney beans, cuz that what I had. I added 5 cups of water a and 2 cups of El Pato tomato sauce for the liquid. El Pato is my secret ingredient for flavor, along with 4-5 bullion cubes. Using the El Pato makes the soup perfectly spicy. You can vary the water to El Pato ratio to suit your personal taste, of course. I didn't have any veggies except an onion and omitted the mustard powder, so the flavor boosters really helped. I added 6 cloves of garlic - 1 teaspoon would never do it for us. No need to add salt. I used a 1-1/2 lb. meaty ham shank that was just fantastic. I served this w/ homemade baguette. I had intended to give some soup and a loaf of bread to our neighbor, but we ate almost all of the soup last night!
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