Gigantes - Giant Beans Packed with Big Flavour
I always have a tin or two of gigantes beans in the pantry, but with the current lockdown we are unable to leave the house and the unimaginable has happened...we've run out of canned gigantes!!!
Thankfully before all of these COVID-19 restrictions we had the bi-monthly visit to one of our favourite Greek warehouses in Adelaide, Gaganis Bros., to top up our staples.
Amongst our treasures, we bought some dried Lima Beans. These are deceiving as when you soak them overnight they transform from small white pebbles...
...into these giant creamy morsels ready for a serious flavour hit!
HINT
You will need to soak the beans overnight. Remember that you can't rush perfection. It's all worth the wait, especially on cold days like today!
The secret, and my favourite flavour, is adding dill to this recipe. You simply can't have Gigantes Plaki (γίγαντες πλακί) without a heap of dill stirred through.
What are Gigantes Plaki?
Gigantes is Greek for giant
Plaki refers to a method of cooking using olive oil, garlic, onion and tomato as a base.
Basically we are making giant beans baked in a rich and aromatic tomato sauce.
A must to mop up the moorish tomato flavoured olive oil is freshly baked bread. Choose your favourite bread, but it has to be able to soak up all that yummy goodness.
Gigantes Plaki are delicious straight from the oven...
...or leave in the fridge overnight and the flavours develop further. They are just the best the next day!
So next time you feel like baked beans why not try making Gigantes Plaki with fresh crusty bread and let's not forget the all important sprinkling of feta on the top.
Kali Oreksi
In the meantime we will be posting dishes to raise awareness, practice recipes and of course to tempt your appetite 😉
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