| 2 | lb | Dried black (turtle) beans |
| 1 1/4 | c | Best-quality olive oil |
| 3 | c | Diced yellow onions |
| 12 | | Cloves garlic, crushed |
| 1 | | Very meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks |
| 8 | qt | Water |
| 3 1/2 | tb | Ground cumin |
| 2 | tb | Dried oregano |
| 3 | | Bay leaves |
| 1 | tb | Coarse (kosher) salt |
| 1 | tb | Freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 | pn | Cayenne pepper |
| 8 | tb | Chopped fresh Italian parsley |
| 1 3/4 | | To 2 pounds fresh garlic sausage |
| 6 | | Sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 6 | | Hot Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1 | lb | Bratwurst, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 3 | | Medium-size sweet red peppers, cored, seeded, and diced |
| 1/4 | c | Dry sherry |
| 3 | tb | Dark brown sugar |
| 2 | tb | Fresh lemon juice |
