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Recipe: Baked Gigantes, the Giant of Greek Bean Dishes

Name: Baked Gigantes
Cuisine: Athens
Ingredients: Serves 4250 gr giant beans; 3 tbsp olive oil + ½ cup; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 leek, chopped; 2 carrots, diced; 1 bay leaf; 1 tbsp chopped celery (just the stalk); ½ cup rosé wine; 320 gr fresh tomato grated or pulsed in a blender, or canned tomato pulp; 2 tbsp tomato paste; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ½ cup water; ½ cup chopped chevril; ½ cup chopped dill; ⅓ cup chopped Mediterranean hartwort; ½ cup of water 1; ½ cup water from the beans (the water that the beans boiled in); Salt; Freshly ground black pepper

By Carolina Doriti

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Recipe Information

In this recipe I use chopped leek along with the carrots, as it adds a natural sweetness. It also features herbs that are very seasonal at the moment in Greece: chervil (also called French parsley), Mediterranean hartwort, and dill, which I source at my local farmers’ market on Saturdays and are particularly aromatic. If you can’t find them in your market, I’d recommend using the same amount in total of chopped parsley and dill. I avoid cooking the olive oil, instead adding most of it at the end to give the dish a nicer texture, shine and flavor.

Baked gigantes require fresh, country-style warm bread. If you’re a cheese-lover, try pairing this dish with feta or just crumble it and add it straight into the baking tray as soon as you take it out of the oven.

Ingredients

Serves 4

250 gr giant beans
3 tbsp olive oil + ½ cup
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chopped celery (just the stalk)
½ cup rosé wine
320 gr fresh tomato grated or pulsed in a blender, or canned tomato pulp
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ cup water
½ cup chopped chevril
½ cup chopped dill
⅓ cup chopped Mediterranean hartwort
½ cup of water 1
½ cup water from the beans (the water that the beans boiled in)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step One

Place beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of fresh water. Soak overnight for 8-12 hours. On the following day, drain them, rinse them and place them in a large cooking pot. Cover again with plenty of fresh water, and bring to boil. Simmer for about 40-50 minutes or until beans are tender enough to eat. Once ready make sure you reserve the water that is left in there. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Step Two

Place a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onions and leeks until soft and glossy. Add in the bay leaf, garlic and celery, stir and next add in the carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir for about a minute and then add in the wine and stir again. Add in the tomato pulp and paste, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ cup water and bring the heat down to low. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until it cooks down and thickens. Remove from heat, adjust seasoning if necessary, and mix in the chopped herbs. Place strained cooked giant beans in a baking tray, pour the sauce on top and mix in the water from the cooked beans. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Step Three

Remove from the oven, uncover, toss them a bit to coat them with the sauce and place back in the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes or so until they get a nice color on top and look somewhat caramelized. Remove from the oven and mix in the ½ cup of olive oil. Let stand for 10-15 minutes and serve.

To convert metric measurements to US and British kitchen units, click here.

This article was originally published on December 02, 2020.

Written & photos by Carolina Doriti

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