Rosemary's Baby's Beans

Rosemary and Garlic Cannellini Beans

Today we present you with a special treat. Access World takes you to Italy for a rare interview with one of the most famous people you've never heard of. He's been everywhere, met and served countless world leaders and yet remains hidden, working behind the scenes, influencing the palates of the elite. Master chef, Serafino Filius is here for a candid, one on one interview. We'll ask him about his humble beginnings, how he came to be known as "The Most Famous Person You Don't Know" and where he is going from here. I am Alesha Accendo and this is Access World.

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"Serafino, it's such an honor to have you here today. Perhaps we can start with you sharing your childhood with us. I understand you weren't born here in Italy. Am I correct?"

 

"Yes, Alesha, you are correct. I was actually born in an apartment building in New York to Rosemary and Gage Wouldhome. I was born on June 28, 1966."

 

"Birth records show you were born a few days earlier, actually. They state June 21, 1966 at 4:33 pm."

 

"Your research team is quite proficient. They are correct. From what I'm told, there was a bit of chaos surrounding my birth. My mother suffered from antepartum and postpartum depression. Her case was quite severe. She altered the date of my birth and I have kept it as she wished out of respect for her."

 

"Is depression something she still suffers from?"

 

"Unfortunately, she has passed."

 

"Please accept our condolences. How long ago did she pass? Was she able to recover from her depression?"

 

"Her passing was a private matter, as was her illness."

 

"Your father, tell us about him."

 

"Again, another private matter."

 

"Mr Filius, you live up to your clandestine reputation. If we are to continue with this interview, you must at least share some information."

 

"As you wish. My father was an actor in a theatre."

 

"That's all?"

 

"Yes. My parents were both a little unstable. Some close family friends helped to care for me in my formative years. They were older and I felt it was better I moved on."

 

"How old were you when you made that decision?"

 

"I was ten."

 

"Ten?!? That's pretty young."

 

"I knew what I wanted. I discovered a distant relative that resided in Italy. I contacted him, relocated, and he became my exemplar. Eventually, I attended culinary school and graduated head of my class. I quickly gained a reputation and began to work behind the scene in kitchens of the elite and influential."

 

"We'll come back to your exemplar, but first, why did you pursue work in the culinary field? It appears that you could have moved in any direction you chose. Why pursue a career as a chef?"

 

"That's very simple. Prince or pauper, leader or led, all must eat. So, who then holds more power, a man playing the clarinet or the one conducting? Is not the act of supplying carefully prepared victuals to the nobility, a conductor of sorts? A symphony of world affairs conducted by the graceful hands of a humble chef, it's quite incredible and brilliant too, if I do say so myself."

 

"So, if this in fact is true, why did you even agree to an interview? Being here no longer grants you the privacy you've enjoyed for so long."

 

"In all honesty, it's a game that my progenitor has set up. The rules were provided and instructions written well before my conception. I have done my part. The symphony plays and the chess game has begun. My privacy is no longer a matter of consequence. My performance and influences in the culinary world will reverberate for some time. I, however, have granted this interview with an ulterior motive in mind. "

 

"What might that be?"

 

"I am using this platform to announce my resignation."

 

"Resignation?!? Is that even possible?"

 

"Yes, unequivocally and absolutely. We all have free will, don't we?"

"The progenitor you spoke of and your exemplar, would they not be disappointed, Mr. Filius?" 

"True freedom means being unbound by rules to another's game. True freedom is making up your own game, regrettably with certain consequences. I realize my life has been elusive and somewhat secretive, therefor announcing a resignation publicly would only reveal a vocation most would have never given a second thought.
Resigning in this format however, allows me certain liberties that would have otherwise remain unavailable.
Now, that I have accomplished what I've come here to do, let us eat."

"Eat? That came unexpectedly (much like the direction of this interview.) What would you have us eat, raw organ meat mixed with odd tasting herbs?"

"These days I seem to have many extant characteristics, one of them being my taste for flesh. So I will share with you a dish made in honor of my mother. It's vegetarian, by the way. Rosemary is the herb of choice. Not only because it was my mother's name, but it has been used for eons for honoring and remembering loved ones passed.
It's a very simple recipe.
I suggest using the freshest ingredients possible when you decide to make this in your home. The fresher the beans, the better they will taste and the quicker they will cook. The older ones are seemingly unyielding but with time and patience, they too soften and absorb the broth.
Shall we sit and enjoy lunch?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 1 lb Dried Cannellini Beans, freshest possible
Water to Soak
1/4 Cup Olive Oil, good quality
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Onion, minced (optional)
1/2 cup Dry White Wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
Sprigs of  Fresh Rosemary
1 quart Vegetable Stock, good quality, please

 

Rinse beans and pick through to remove any stones.

Soak the beans for about 8 hours with enough water to cover them by an inch or two.

Over medium heat, add olive oil to a stockpot or dutch oven or bean pot. (Whatever you have on hand is fine. The perfect vessel would consist of one that kept an even amount of heat conducting throughout it without burning your beans....so usually, the thicker the better.)

Add onions (if using) and let them soften just for a minute or two.

Add garlic and cook for just a minute, stirring and letting the oil infuse with the garlic.

Add the rosemary and stir.
Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate, just a couple minutes.
(Almost every cook book will tell you not to add the wine until after the beans have finished cooking. Having made this recipe over and over it always has turned out beautifully. The only problem I have run across is buying beans that have been around for a very long time. Those require patience or a pressure cooker or sometimes both.)

Add the beans and the vegetable stock.
If the beans are not covered with the stock, add a cup or two of water until they are submerged slightly.

Turn the heat down to a simmer.

Cover with a lid and let cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

Lift the lid and taste the beans for done-ness.

If they are fresh, they should be soft and creamy.

Let the beans cook uncovered for another 15 minutes so some of the liquid cooks away.

Season with salt and pepper.

Alternately, if using a pressure cooker....
In a stockpot, follow the steps above....
 Sautéing the garlic in the olive oil; adding the wine; then the rosemary, the stock and the beans...
Transfer to a pressure cooker. (Never cook more than 1 pound of beans at a time using a pressure cooker.)
Bring to high pressure and let cook for 25 minutes, letting the pressure release naturally.
You may need to transfer the beans back to your stockpot when done to cook off some of the liquid.
(Older models tend to have a higher rate of evaporation that the newer models. Please check your manufacturer recommendations when cooking with beans.)
Season with salt and pepper.

Happy Beans Happy Halloween :)