Preparing and cooking the Beans

Soak beans for 6-8 hours in enough water to cover generously. Drain and discard water several times. 

Place beans, pig parts, and bay leaves in a pot with 8 cups stock or water to cover, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours. If beans are exposed add more water or stock. Beans should be whole and slightly al dente

Add  Cumino; continue simmering for an additional 1/2 hour or until beans are creamy, intact and pretty much ready to eat. Add additional stock to cover beans if it becomes necessary. Drain beans if too much liquid remains reserving this bean stock 

remove and separate out all bones and pork pieces.

Discard bones and chop and return pig parts to beans. If desired, you can hard fry the chopped pig parts to further render fat before returning them to the beans.

Reduce the drained bean stock until it has the consistency of a thick soup and reserve one cup.

Preparing the Sofrito that you will add to the Beans

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, add chopped jalapeno and onion and cook until soft, add the garlic and fry 5 minutes.

Add grated tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes. (Or you can add 1.5 cups of sofrito if you have already made some). 

Final 1/2 hour

Take 1/2 cup of beans and the reserved bean juice, mash to a paste and add to sofrito mixture. Fold this mixture into the beans

Add salt to taste

Combine warm beans, pig parts, reduced bean stock and sofrito and cook a final 20 -30 minutes until done.

Beans are ready when "easily "mashable" with a spoon. As you would with pasta toward the end,taste the beans to make sure they are whole but with the consistency desired. 

If you desire to serve as soup, blend with a hand blender to the desired texture and add sherry to flavor.

Serve with Greasy Garlic Rice (either at the bottom of the plate or in a mold in the center).

Serve with Salsa Aji.