1 lb. dried lg. lima beans, picked over and washed
6 c. cold water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lard or 2 oz. slab bacon
3 or 4 lg. onions, chopped
4 carrots, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
3 lg. garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb. piece smoked ham
1/4 lb. prosciutto
1/4 lb. whole Italian sweet sausage
1/4 lb. whole Italian hot sausage
1/4 lb. piece pepperoni
3 lg. parsley branches
2 lg. bay leaves
1 lb. can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Place the beans in a pot, add the cold water, and soak overnight. Heat the oil and lard in a large, heavy kettle. Add the onions, carrots and garlic and saute over moderate heat 12-15 minutes, stirring. Reduce heat to low. Cover and steam vegetables 20 minutes. Add the beans and their soaking liquid, the ham, prosciutto, 3 sausages, parsley, bay leaves and tomatoes. Bring to simmer. Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until the beans are firm tender.

Remove ham, prosciutto, and sausages and cut them into bite-size pieces. Return to kettle. Add white pepper, black pepper and cayenne. Stir well and cover. Cook another 1 1/2 hours or until beans are done, stirring every 30 minutes and adding a little water to prevent scorching. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve in deep soup plates.