Portuguese Red Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 c. dried red kidney beans
6 potatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. bacon fat
3 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 or 4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. allspice
1 tsp. smoked salt
pepper
1 small can Contadina tomato paste

Preparation

Soak dried red beans overnight.
Drain beans and cover them with fresh water in a saucepan.
Simmer beans until tender, about 2 hours.
Peel and dice potatoes, put them in a soup kettle.
Add fourth teaspoon salt and cook 15 minutes.
Saute onions and garlic in bacon fat until golden.
Add onions and garlic to soup kettle. Add kidney beans and liquid, bay leaves, smoked salt, pepper, allspice and tomato paste.
Let soup simmer 3 hours, adding more water as necessary.
Adjust seasonings and serve soup hot.
I use Spice Island hickory smoke salt for seasoning.
Be careful you don't get too much in it.