Last night I put red kidney beans to soak and this morning I rinsed them and added fresh water and a ham hock and am now making the variation on the Puerto Rican recipe that my late mother-in-law taught us. Puerto Rican cooking has a sofrito but it doesn't use the hot peppers like you find in Mexican food. Lots of garlic and onion. I do add a little heat, but not enough to make the dish hot, just to give it a little extra kick. It involves adding things like cooked squash as a thickener (if you have it). I add meat near the end, usually hamburger or some kind of sausage (when I had my next door neighbor giving me venison sausage her son gave her I loved that flavoring! Alas, she moved.) The final additions are a large portion of cilantro/corriander (fresh leaves) and at the end as you're turning off the heat, I use a fork to scoop a bunch of capers out of the large bottle in the fridge. 1/4 cup or more, I'd guess. The little vinegary salty burst on the tongue is wonderful in these beans.

I freeze it in 12 ounce jars for future meals.

Serve over rice.