1 1/4 c. pea beans, dried (small white beans)
Water to cover
1 qt. chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 branch winter savory
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lg. carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
3 Jones little link sausages
Water to cover
1/4 tsp. salt

Place washed beans in a pot; cover with cold water and soak overnight or bring to a rolling boil, simmer for 10 minutes and let stand 1 to 2 hours. Discard water. Place beans in a 2 quart pot, add broth, bay leaf, savory, onion, garlic, carrot and celery.

Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 1 hour. Meanwhile, place sausage in a small skillet; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 minutes. Discard water (helps to get rid of some excess salt and fat) These are chosen because there are no nitrates nor nitrites in them.

Brown the sausage lightly; cut them in 1/2 inch lengths and add to the beans. Pour into a crockpot, and cook overnight or simmer top of the stove, tightly lidded.

This combination makes a delicious soup with 2 hour cooking or if you engage in the 8 hour low bean cooking, you will develop the full flavor of a bean dish.

Adjust seasoning to taste. The ordinary salt use for this dish would be approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons; I find the 1/4 teaspoon of salt enough to accent the bean flavor; there is also some salt in the sausage.

To reduce the fat still further, take the outer leaves of lettuce you were going to discard and lay them over the top of the beans; they will become opalescent, absorbing the excess fat which has risen to the top of the beans. 4 good servings.