Greek Style Baked Beans Fassolia Or Gigantes 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!

GIGANTES (GREEK LIMA BEANS)

Steps:

• Place the lima beans in a large saucepan. Pour enough water to fill to 2 inches above top of the beans. Allow to soak overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes; drain. Pour the beans into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and dill; stir.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if the mixture appears dry.

GREEK BAKED GIANT BEANS (GIGANTES PLAKI)

Steps:

• Soak the beans in a large bowl with plenty of water for at least 12 hours (24 hours will work best).Rinse them well and transfer them in large pot. Fill with enough water to cover them by at least 2 inches and bring to a simmer. Skim any foam from the surface and cook until tender (about 1 hour). Remove from the heat.
• Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).Drain half of the water from the pot and refill with fresh water (this will cool the beans and will help them not to peel-off when drained). Stir gently and let them sit until you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Drain the beans and transfer them to a large casserole dish or baking pan. Add the rest of the ingredients except the water and stir gently to mix. Add enough water to just cover them.
• Bake for about 60 minutes or until almost all of the liquids have evaporated.
• Serve with bread and olives. Eat!

MY BIG FAT GREEK BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Place Corona beans in a large bowl. Cover with a generous amount of water and let soak, 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain beans into a pot. Add 3 quarts fresh water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until just tender but not too soft, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Drain beans and spread into a large casserole dish. Add red onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, honey, 1/2 cup dill, olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, vinegar, and water. Mix until well combined. Place dish onto a lined baking sheet to catch any spills.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is bubbling and caramelized and beans are soft, about 1 hour. Check periodically and add more water if casserole is too dry.
• Stir casserole and smooth the top. Garnish with feta cheese and 1 tablespoon dill.

FASSOLIA GIGANTES PLAKI (GIANT BEANS BAKED IN THE OVEN)

Steps:

• Pick the beans clean from stones and grit and soak them in cold water overnight.
• Drain and rinse them in a colander, put into a large saucepan or a pressure cooker, cover with plenty of cold water and boil them until they are cooked but still a little hard.
• This type of bean cooks quickly, so be aware until you get used to them.
• They take hardly 2 minutes in a pressure cooker and about 30-40 minutes otherwise.
• If they get overcooked, they get mushy and soggy and they do not taste at their best.
• This first step then is also the most important in this recipe.
• Drain the beans through a colander and keep aside.
• In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the onions, the garlic and the dried herbs, until they start turning pale golden.
• Add the tomatoes with all the juice from the cans or, if fresh tomatoes are used, add 150 ml water.
• Then add the tomato puree and sugar, break up the mixture with a fork, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Mix the parsley into the tomato sauce, add the beans and mix well.
• Spread the beans in an oven dish.
• Sprinkle a little oregano and black pepper on the top and cook in a pre-heated oven at 350 grades F/ 80 grades C, for 30 minutes, without stirring, until they look slightly crisp on top and quite dry.
• Alternatively, add the beans to the tomato sauce, mix well, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

GREEK-STYLE BAKED BEANS (FASSOLIA OR GIGANTES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large, oven-safe skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent. (If using frozen onions, saute until pan is dry.) Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Move onions and garlic to edges of pan and add tomato paste to center. Stir tomato paste constantly until very dark and pan is coated. Stir onions into tomato paste and add red wine, scraping up fond from pan as wine evaporates.
• Add tomatoes (with any juice in cans), tomato sauce, spices and beans. Stir everything together well. When simmering, cover and transfer to preheated oven. Bake 40 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.