Cannellini Beans (Or Any Dried Bean)

Put beans in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Add the rosemary sprigs whole and break the bay leaves in half. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, if beans have plumped up and started to soften, add about a teaspoon of salt, make sure a thin layer of water is still covering the beans and recover the pot. Beginning at about 45 minutes, start checking for doneness - they should still be firm, not mushy or falling apart, but not hard or crunchy on the inside either. Usually it takes 45 minutes to an hour to reach the right doneness for cannellii beans. Once they're done, turn off the heat, remove the rosemary and bay leaves and let the beans cool down a bit. At this point, if you want to refrigerate or freeze the beans with some of the liquid (enought to cover them) they will keep well.
To finish them, put olive oil, 2 garlic cloves and a few broken chiles in a saute pan over high heat for 1-2 minutes (slighly brown the garlic cloves) and then add enough cannellini beans with a very small amount of liquid to have a single layer of beans covering the bottom of the pan. Stir or toss occasionally over medium to high heat until liquid evaporates and beans begin to crisp a little, about 7 minutes. Salt to taste and finish with a little extra virgin olive oil. Excellent accompanyment to grilled chicken, steak or lamb, or roasted fish.