Gigantes plaki – Greek giant beans baked in tomato sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the beans

   Rinse the beans, cover them with 1.5 l of cold water, and leave to soak for 8 to 12 hours. Then drain and rinse the beans once more.

   
2. 2

   Cook the beans until almost tender

   Put the beans in a pot, cover with 2 l of fresh water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add 3 g of salt, and simmer gently for approximately 45 to 60 minutes. The beans should be tender but still hold their shape. Drain them and measure out 250 ml of the cooking liquid.

   
3. 3

   Prepare the tomato base

   Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot and cook the vegetables over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened and the edges of the onion begin to turn lightly golden. Add the chopped garlic and tomato paste, and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf, black pepper, and the remaining 3 g of salt; simmer gently for 5 minutes.

   
4. 4

   Bake the beans in the sauce

   Put the cooked beans in a baking dish and mix them with the tomato base and the reserved 250 ml of cooking liquid. Leave the bay leaf in the dish. Bake uncovered at 190 °C for approximately 40 to 50 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, small golden spots appear on the surface, and the beans are completely tender. If the surface browns too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil.

   
5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Chop the parsley and stir it into the baked beans. Taste the sauce; after reducing, it should have a pronounced tomato flavor, be slightly tangy, and be sufficiently salted. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes so the sauce can thicken further, then serve warm.