Pink Beans

Ingredients

• 1 lb pink beans
• Water
• 1 lb ham shank
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 small potatoes, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 2 small onions, diced
• 8-ish cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 oz roughly chopped green olives
• Some tomato sauce. I passed a 10 oz tomato through a food mill and added the juice. A 6 oz can or whatever, really would be fine.
  
• 1/2 oz of cilantro or so, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Soak your beans overnight, or do a quick soak, or don't soak at all
2. Rinse your beans and add them to a heavy pot with the bay leaves, the ham shank and enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches or so
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 hour or so. Replinish the water as it cooks off (there should always be about 1 inch). As you near the 1 1/2 hour mark, don't replenish the water, try and get it so that when you take the next step, the water is at the level of the beans.
4. Add everything else and cook for another 35-45 minutes. The beans should be tender and the potatoes should be cooked. There should be enough liquid to make a thick gravy for the beans, this should not be too soupy
5. I pulled the ham shank out when I added the rest of the ingredients, shredded the meat and put it back in. If you do this, make sure you discard the skin, as it will be tough and chewy
   

Notes

• This was so damn good, I almost cried