A day in advance: Dissolve the salt in a quart of hot water in a large pan, then add three quarts of cold water and the beans. Leave to soak overnight.

Two hours in advance:Drain beans, then return them to the pan and fill again with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn down, and let simmer.

After the beans have cooked at least an hour:Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the herbs and chile, and sauté for a minute, until fragrant. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they are somewhat translucent, about ten minutes.

Strip the chard leaves from the stems and set them aside. Wash the stems and cut them into quarter-inch slices. Add the chard stems to the onions and continue sautéing for ten more minutes.

The beans should be pretty close to done. Drain them, return them to the pan, and stir in the onions and chard stems, tomatoes, and stock.

Heat the olive oil in a separate skillet, and add the sausage. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until well-browned.

Arrange the chard leaves into one stack, and roll up the stack (or at least fold it over) and slice into half-inch strips. Wash the leaves in a colander.

Stir the chard leaves and sausage into the soup. Add sea salt and pepper taste, then cook until the leaves are wilted, and serve.