Gigantes plaki

Name: Gigantes plaki
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 400 g gigantes or large butter beans, soaked overnight; 2 onions, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 150 ml olive oil; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 bunch dill, chopped; 1 small bunch parsley, chopped; Salt and black pepper

Local name : Γίγαντες πλακί

Giant white beans baked in a garlicky onion and tomato sauce until creamy inside and caramelised on top, scattered with fresh dill.

VeganGluten-free#greek#beans#baked#tomato#meze

Photo : Hevesli · Public domain

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 90 min
Total: 105 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Method

Drain the beans, cover generously with water and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until tender but still whole. Drain, keeping 250 ml of the cooking water.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat 100 ml of the oil in a sauté pan and soften the onions over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato purée and oregano, stir for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, sugar and reserved cooking water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in half the herbs, season well, and gently fold in the beans.
Tip into a baking dish in a fairly shallow layer and drizzle with the remaining oil.
Bake for 40 minutes until the top is well browned and the sauce has thickened. Add a splash of water if it looks dry.
Scatter with the remaining dill and parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

In Greece gigantes are usually part of a meze spread with bread for mopping up, but a big dish easily makes a full dinner on its own.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories: 714 kcal
Protein: 26.3 g
Fat: 35.9 g
Carbohydrate: 77.3 g
Fibre: 19.1 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

My beans are still firm in the middle after baking. Why?

They were not tender enough before they met the sauce. Tomato acidity sharply slows softening, so anything still firm at the pre-cook stage stays firm. Simmer them until tender but whole.

When should I salt the beans?

At the end of the pre-cook, never in the soaking water. Salt added too early toughens the skins and drags out the cooking, while salt at the end seasons the bean right through.

The dish is drying out in the oven. What do I do?

Add a little hot water as it bakes, as the method allows, and check the bean layer is not too deep. That is also what the reserved 250 ml of cooking water is for, so do not throw it away before the dish goes in.

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