As a non-vegetarian, I tried some of the meatier dishes at dinner time, but my friend tried dishes from the variety of veggie meze offered. Being the generous person she is, she shared. One of my favorites was the giant beans (Gigantes). I would have never ordered beans for myself.....I'm glad she shared!
The giant bean has a very interesting designation within the EU...it is PDO (protected designation of origin). Meaning, unless this particular species of bean, Faseolus gigantes, is grown in a particular region it can't be called Gigantes. You can read more about it here.
For the last year I have been on a quest to find Gigantes. I could order them online, but was hesitant because shipping on a $5 bag of beans would have tripled their price. Then, in March, I was in Edmonton. I dropped into the Italian Centre just off 51st Ave. They had large lima beans (not a true giant bean, but close enough to give it a try) so I bought them.
I have made this recipe, by Diane Kochilas, two times now. She is a Greek-American chef who lives part time on Ikaria in the Greek Islands. The flavor is incredible. It's been so long since I tasted the giant beans in Greece, I can't remember how closely the flavour resembles the ones we ate there.....but regardless, they are awesome. If you love baked beans, and love savory (as opposed to sweet) flavors....you must try them!
Here we go....
The recipe uses: beans, onion, canned tomatoes and tomato paste, olive oil, dill, honey, salt and pepper.
First, soak the beans for 24 hours. When they are done they will have at least doubled in size. The soaked bean, on the left, is approximately 2 inches long - they are HUGE. And this isn't even a real Gigantes!
Rinse the soaked beans under running water and drain. According to Diane, by discarding the soaking/cooking water you remove a lot of the flatulence. Good to know!
After soaking you boil the beans for 1 hour on the stove, or if you have a pressure cooker that apparently works very well. I don't, so I used the stove top method. It seemed to work fine.
Next, chop the red onion (fine dice), and put everything into an oven safe casserole. I used diced canned tomatoes, but the chunks were a bit big, so I squished the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Next time I would use crushed tomatoes, or grate fresh tomatoes as the recipe calls for. Note, I haven't yet added the beans and water to the dish below.
And then you wait, and stir, and wait, and add some water, and wait......for ever! The baking takes 3-4 hours, despite what the recipe says.
They smell delicious, and when they finally come out of the oven they are a soft, smooth, and delicious!
They can be served hot as a side dish, or at room temperature for a greek-style meze. I like them both ways.
The recipe can be found here.
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