Italian Sausages and Beans with Sage (Salsiccie con Fagioli all'Uccelletto)

This is from a recent FOODday section of The Oregonian, but the recipe credits an adaptation from "The Bean Book". It's a great dish, very hearty. Some crusty bread and a glass of red wine really made this a wonderful meal. And - also included in the article from The Oregonian - "...fresh shell beans, like fresh shell peas, are easily digested and don't cause the gastric distress that cooked dry beans do." (Apologies if that was too much information!) Prep time does not include overnight soak for dried beans.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  cups  dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight,drained and rinsed or 5 -6  cups  fresh cannellini beans
• 2⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1  lb  fresh Italian pork sausage, chopped
• 1  cup  strained tomatoes
• 2  cloves garlic, crushed
• 1  sprig fresh sage or 2  teaspoons dried sage
•  salt
•  pepper
•  sage leaf, for garnish

Directions

1. Place the dried beans in a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender, skimming off the scum as needed.
2. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.
3. Heat 1/3 cup of the oil in a flameproof casserole or heavy-based saucepan.
4. Add the sausages and cook over medium heat until brown on all sides.
5. Add the tomatoes, garlic, sage, salt and pepper to taste, and stir well to mix.
6. Bring to a boil, then add the beans and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid.
7. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes- the consistency should be quite thick.
8. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
9. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil over the dish and garnish with sage leaves.
10. My notes: I substituted Coco Blanc fresh shell beans for the Cannellini; It took only~25 minutes for the beans I used to become tender; I merely chopped and drained the tomatoes; I used Hot Italian sausage; I added red pepper flakes; And I used 4 cloves garlic.