Greek Roasted Beans In Tomato Sauce Gigantes Plaki Recipes

GIGANTES PLAKI RECIPE (GIGANDES GREEK BAKED 'GIANT' BEANS)

Steps:

• To prepare the gigantes (Gigsntes) plaki, start by soaking the gigantes beans overnight into plenty of water. Drain them into a colander and rinse with plenty of water.
• Place the gigantes in a large pan with cold water, enough to cover them, add a pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes, until tender but not cooked. Drain them in a colander and set aside.
• In the meantime, pour into a large baking pan the olive oil, add the chopped onions, the whole garlic clove (peeled) and bake at 180C, until softened and slightly colored (approx. 15 minutes).
• Turn the baking pan out of the oven. Add the gigantes beans (drained), the celery, the parsley, ½ cup of hot water and season with salt and pepper. Put back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Turn the baking tray out of the oven, blend the gigantes beans lightly with a wooden spoon and pour in the grated tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of oregano and bake the gigantes plaki further for 50-60 minutes at 180C, until the beans are soft and tender and the sauce thickens.
• For an easier alternative, after soaking the gigantes beans overnight, drain and rinse them. Place in a large pan with enough water to cover them and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes, drain them and place into a large baking pan, along with all of the ingredients, cover with some aluminum foil and bake at 180C for approx. 2 hours. The last 30 minutes, bake without the aluminium foil. Enjoy!

GREEK ROASTED BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE - GIGANTES PLAKI

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight, the longer, the better.
• Preheat oven at 350 Farenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Drain and rinse the beans and boil in water for about 40 minutes to an hour, until they are soft but not mushy. Make sure you boil them enough; otherwise the beans will be too hard to eat even after baking.
• Sauce - Sauté the onion in a bit of olive on low heat until soft and add the garlic cloves whole. If you want a stronger garlic flavor you can mince the garlic.
• Add the tomato (you can use cherry tomatoes cut in thin slices, but the traditional way is grating the tomato), the tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and about ¼ cup olive oil. Let it simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Once the beans have boiled, drain them and put them back into the pot, add the sauce and mix gently. Pour the mixture in a pan and spread evenly and then pour about another ¼ cup olive oil over the beans and bake for about 50 minutes until beans are tender.
• Accompany with feta cheese and bread.

YIGANDES PLAKI - GREEK BAKED BEANS & TOMATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Add the beans to a pot with enough cold water to cover well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a slow boil for 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
• Using a wooden spoon, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
• Add tomatoes (if using canned, add all liquid as well), bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, parsley, and water, and allow to boil gently for 10-30 minutes, until it begins to thicken.
• Place the beans in an oven-proof pan, add tomato mixture, stir and spread mixture out evenly.
• Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are soft. (Check the dish during cooking and if needed, add a small amount of boiling water.) The dish will look crispy on top.
• Remove from the oven, cover, and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• When using after refrigerating, allow it to come to room temperature, or heat briefly in the microwave. This dish is not served hot.