FULL OF BEANS

Giant Baked Butter Beans (Gigantes)

I  received so many good comments about Mrs Soulis fish as featured in last months issue, that I asked her for second helping from her favourite family recipes. Ed

“This is a meal that warms your heart and soul.  It makes you feel happy and full when it is raining chair legs outside” soothed Mr Soulis.  (‘Raining chair legs’ is the Greek version of ‘raining cats and dogs’ and sounds just as precarious). 

“It is impossible to make this dish badly, it is so very simple that even my husband can cook this” she added with a wink.

Ingredients

½ Kilo dried butter beans - *soft

3 medium onions - coarsely chopped

½ kilo ripe tomatoes - chopped / or 1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 cup of olive oil

4 (or more) garlic cloves - crushed or finely chopped

Generous handful of fresh flat leaved parsley – coarsely chopped

Peppercorns - either a handful or sprinkling

Tablespoon of sugar

Salt and black pepper to taste

*soak the butter beans overnight

Preparation

• Rinse the butter beans that have soaked overnight and boil for about 20 minutes.  If you have forgotten to soak them you can speed up the process by boiling them for about 40 – 50 minutes until they are soft but not mushy. Drain and put aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions, fry until they start to soften and then add the peppercorns and seasoning. Fry off the onions until translucent.
• Add the tomatoes. Plus a ½ cup of water if using fresh ones. Add the sugar and a little more seasoning to taste.  Heat gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the last five minutes add the parsley.
• Preheat oven to 350° C.
• Take a casserole dish and spread a little olive oil in the bottom to stop the beans from sticking.  Pour in the tomato sauce mixture then mix in the beans, cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve with feta cheese and fresh bread.  Try ‘zimoto’ bread – a traditional village brown bread available at every bakery;  the texture is perfect for soaking up the sauce.

(To give the dish a bit of a kick, add splash of chilli sauce or fresh chopped chilli’s, certainly warming! Ed)