Spicy White Bean Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit
Prepare the beans: We used dried Great Northern Beans which were cooked in a slow cooker for about 4 hrs. Stove top methods produce the same result, or, you could use canned pre-cooked beans. You want about 1/2 pounds of dried beans for 4-6 servings.
While the beans are cooking, saute 1/2 pound of your favorite spicy sausage in a skillet. Use bite-sized pieces. Add 1 C diced celery, and 1 C diced onion. You could add green pepper if you wish. When they are soft, add 2 minced garlic cloves and 2T thyme.
Puree part of the cooked beans until smooth. We generally use about 1/2 of the beans and leave 1/2 whole. Add the beans to the sausage mixture and serve.
While any type of dry white wine would be good with this soup, so is beer.