Gigantes plaki

Gigantes plaki translates as ‘giant beans baked in the oven’. Eat at room temperature (the day after cooking for the best flavour) as part of a meze, or with a Greek salad and crusty bread.

QServes 4

QPrep 20 mins plus overnight soaking

400g dried butter beans (or use 3 x

400g cans, drained, and skip step 1) 3 tbsp Greek extra virgin olive oil,

plus extra to serve

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato purée

800g ripe tomatoes, skins removed

(see p60) and roughly chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano pinch of ground cinnamon

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley,

plus extra to serve

1 Put the beans in a large pan, cover with water and leave to soak overnight. Drain, rinse, then return to the pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the

QCook about 2 hrs

heat, then simmer for 50 mins until slightly tender but not soft. Drain, then set aside.

2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 10 mins until softened but not browned. Add the tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2-3 mins. Season well, then stir in the beans.

3 Tip into a large baking dish and bake, uncovered and without stirring, for

40 mins if using canned beans, or 1 hr if using dried, until the beans are tender. Leave to cool. Scatter with the parsley and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve. PER SERVING 431 kcals, fat 11g, saturates 1g,

carbs 66g, sugars 15g, fibre 19g, protein 22g, salt 0.2g