Giant Beans With Spinach Tomatoes And Feta Recipes

GIANT BEANS WITH SPINACH, TOMATOES AND FETA

Steps:

• Combine the beans, water, bay leaf, halved onion, and crushed garlic in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and simmer another 30 minutes. The beans should be al dente: not yet soft but not hard either. Remove from the heat. Using tongs, remove and discard the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the beans. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
• While the beans are simmering, blanch the spinach in a large pot of salted boiling water for 20 seconds, or steam just until it wilts, abut 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the leek and the scallions. Add a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole or baking dish, preferably earthenware. Stir in the spinach, parsley, dill, beans, half the tomato purée, 2 cups of the bean broth and half the feta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in another tablespoon of olive oil. Place the remaining tomatoes over the top and sprinkle on the remaining feta. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cover and place in the oven.
• Bake 1 to 2 hours, checking the liquid every 20 minutes to make sure that the beans are submerged; add more bean broth if necessary. When they're done, the beans will be creamy but intact.

GIANT BEANS WITH SPINACH AND FETA

Steps:

• Rinse ,pick over, and soak overnight or quick-soak beans.
• Drain them, discarding the soaking liquid; set aside. Bring the beans, 2 quarts fresh water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a Dutch oven. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, process the bread with 2 tablespoons of the oil in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 5 pulses; set aside.
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. When the beans are tender, drain and discard the cooking liquid; set aside. Wipe out the Dutch oven, add 2 more tablespoons of the oil to the pot, and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of the spinach, cover, and cook until beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining spinach, cover, and continue to cook until wilted, about 2 minutes longer. Off the heat, gently stir in the drained beans, tomatoes, dill, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. (At this point, the dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.).
• Sprinkle the feta, then the fresh bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the edges are bubbling, about 20 minutes. (If refrigerated, increase the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.) Serve immediately with the lemon wedges.