Gigantes Plaki sto Fourno (Baked Giant Beans)
Gigantes plaki is a deliciously hearty vegan dish made with giant beans, which are cooked until soft and then baked in a delicious tomato sauce until the beans absorb all the juices and caramelize.
Ingredients
- 250 grams giant beans, preferably those of Kozani
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup stalks celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 big carrot, finely chopped
- ¼ of a big red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and blended or 500 grams passata
- 1 ½ cups water or vegetable stock (or 1 organic vegetable cube with water)
Directions
- 1
Soak the beans in plenty of water, overnight.
- 2
Drain and put them in a pot with fresh water and bring to a boil.
- 3
Remove any froth forming on top, with a slotted ladle
- 4
Drain them again and add fresh water as well as the bay leaf and bring to a boil
- 5
Add salt, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).
- 6
Drain and discard the bay leaf
- 7
Put the beans in a a Pyrex in one layer.
- 8
Meantime, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until translucent
- 9
Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
- 10
Add the chopped celery, carrot and bell pepper Sauté for a few minutes
- 11
Season with salt and pepper.
- 12
Add the tomato and mix
- 13
Add vegetable stock or water with a vegetable bouillon.
- 14
Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
- 15
Pour the sauce over the beans. Add more water, if necessary, to cover the beans.
- 16
Cover the Pyrex with aluminium foil.
- 17
Preheat the oven to 200o C / 400o F.
- 18
Bake for about 1 hour and remove the aluminium foil and mix.
- 19
Lower heat to 180oC and continue cooking for another half an hour, or until the beans absorb all the juices and the beans begin to caramelize.
- 20
Serve as a main dish or as part of a mezze dish.