Ελληνικά ακολουθούν
The name Gigantes comes from the Greek word for giant, hence giant beans.
Ingredients
500 grams Fasolia Gigantes, available at some Greek restaurants and specialty stores such as Pacific Food Importers here in Seattle
Water for soaking and simmering beans
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons Greek oregano
1½ teaspoons thyme
2 ounces of Greek olive oil, divided
1-28 ounce can plum tomatoes
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
Crumbled feta and flatleaf parsley for garnish
Note: There is no absolute cooking time for these beans, so your teeth will have to tell you when they are cooked through without becoming mushy. Once they have attained the right texture, they will hold that throughout baking in the red sauce.
If you follow directions below and bring presoaked gigantes to a soft boil in about 15 minutes, the shortest cooking time from that point will be 50 minutes. After that, you’ll want to bite-test a bean every ten minutes; when the bean’s flesh gives all the way down with no hard bit in the middle, your beans are cooked to perfection.
Fasolia Gigantes baking in the woodfired oven
Soak the gigantes: Soak beans overnight in cold water to cover by an inch or more. Minimum soaking time: 8 hours.
For baking in a woodfired oven: Start the fire if your oven is cold. For best results, your fire should be at least 1½ hours old when you put in the Gigantes.
Cook the gigantes: Drain the soaking water and replace with cold water to cover by an inch or more. Over medium heat, with a lid half cocked over the pan, bring the water slowly to a boil. This should take 15 minutes.
Boil gently with the lid partly covering for 50 minutes, at which point you want to test the beans every 10 minutes for doneness. Most beans I have cooked are done in about 1 hour and 10 minutes, but I have encountered a few batches of beans that, for one reason or another, take more than 1½ hours to reach tenderness. Beans are cooked when you can bite through a bean without encountering resistance in the middle.
Once beans are tender, strain off the water, sprinkle with olive oil and salt, and set aside.
Make the sauce: While the beans are cooking, simmer the onion, carrot and garlic in 1 ounce of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan or skillet. Sprinkle with some of the oregano and thyme.
After 10 minutes, when the onions are translucent and slightly brown at the edges, add the juice from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes (I do this with kitchen scissors in the can) and add to the veggies. Add the sugar, the salt and pepper and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring as necessary to keep from sticking. Add ½ cup water and continue at a bare simmer until ready for the next step.
Assembling the casserole dish
For baking in a conventional oven: Preheat oven to 400°
Assemble the casserole: Coat the bottom of a 9” x 12” lasagna pan or similar casserole dish with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Spread first the gigantes and then the sauce as evenly as you can. Drizzle on any remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining herbs.
For baking in a woodfired oven: Make sure you have a good bed of coals and two or three wrist-thick sticks of hardwood that have burned for 20 minutes still flaming moderately. Push the fire against the wall either at the back or the side of your oven, and sweep the ashes.
Put the uncovered casserole 12 inches from the fire and leave the door open just 1” to keep the flame down. Turn casserole after 20 minutes.
The beans will be ready when most of the liquid from the sauce has cooked away or been absorbed, 40 minutes to an hour depending on the heat of your oven.
For baking in a conventional oven: Put the casserole on the center rack of your oven. Turn the temperature down to 375°. Bake for 50 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked away or been absorbed.
Serve gigantes hot, garnished with crumbled feta cheese and flatleaf parsley. These beans are awesome cold as well, served on the patio with pita bread and olives. Enjoy!
Serving methods
Traditionally, gigandes plaki are served as a meze alongside other side dishes. However, this dish is filling enough to be eaten for lunch. This hearty meze is popular during the cold fall and winter months. As with many Greek dishes, bread is used to dip in to the tomato sauce drippings.
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Φασόλια Γίγαντες πλακί στο Φούρνο
Χρόνος προετοιμασίας: 30 λεπτά
Χρόνος μαγειρέματος: 1 ώρα και 30 λεπτό να βράσουν / 1 ώρα και 15 λεπτά στο φούρνο
Μερίδες: 4 - 5
Υλικά:
300 γραμμάρια φασόλια γίγαντες Κοζάνης
2 φύλλα δάφνης
1 μεγάλο κρεμμύδι, ψιλοκομμένο
2 φρέσκα κρεμμυδάκια, ψιλοκομμένα
2 σκελίδες σκόρδο, ψιλοκομμένες
1/3 κούπας ελαιόλαδο
6 ώριμες ντομάτες, αποφλοιωμένες και λιωμένες ή 1 κονσέρβα ντοματάκια ολόκληρα (500 γραμμάρια)
1 κουταλιά ντοματοπελτέ
1/3 κούπας λευκό ξηρό κρασί
1 κούπα μαϊντανό, ψιλοκομμένο
1 -2 κλωναράκια σέλερυ, ψιλοκομμένα
3 μεγάλα καρότα, τριμμένα
2 κουταλιές φρέσκια ρίγανη, ψιλοκομμένη
Λίγο άνηθο, (1/2 κούπα) ψιλοκομμένο (προαιρετικά)
1 κουταλιά αλάτι
Φρεσκοτριμμένο μαύρο πιπέρι
1 κουταλιά μέλι θυμαρίσιο
½ κουταλάκι του γλυκού θυμάρι
½ κουταλάκι πιπέρι τσίλι (προαιρετικά)
2 κούπες νερό
Εκτέλεση:
Βάζουμε τα φασόλια από βραδύς να μουσκέψουν. Τα βάζουμε με φρέσκο νερό να βράσουν.
Τα ξαφρίζουμε, τα σουρώνουμε και τα ξαναβάζουμε να βράσουν με τα φύλλα δάφνης μέχρι να μαλακώσουν (σχεδόν 1 ώρα και 30 λεπτά). Στη συνέχεια, τα στραγγίζουμε και πετάμε τα φύλλα δάφνης.
Προθερμαίνουμε το φούρνο στους 180 o C 350 o F.
Ζεσταίνουμε το ελαιόλαδο και σοτάρουμε τα κρεμμύδια και το σκόρδο μέχρι να μαλακώσουν.
Προσθέτουμε το ψιλοκομμένο σέλινο, τα καρότα, το μαϊντανό, τη φρέσκια ρίγανη και τα φασόλια και τα ανακατεύουμε.
Προσθέτουμε το κρασί, το μέλι, την ντομάτα, αλάτι και πιπέρι και νερό και ανακατεύουμε.
Τα βάζουμε σε ένα πυρέξ και τα σκεπάζουμε με αλουμινόχαρτο.
Τα ψήνουμε για περίπου 1 ώρα και 15 λεπτά ανακατεύοντας σε τακτά χρονικά διαστήματα, μέχρι να πιεί τη σάλτσα του το φαγητό.
Και καλή σας όρεξη
