BAKED BUTTER BEANS WITH SPINACH AND CHARD (GIGANTES)

Gigantes (giants) is what Greeks call large white butter beans. Typically, they are baked; it’s quite common to add sliced sausage, spinach or other seasonal leafy greens, such as chard and sorrel, along with plenty of aromatic herbs. Serve this with some crusty bread and feta, if you like.

SERVES 4

250g dried butter beans

(see tip)

1 bay leaf

250ml olive oil, plus 3 tbsp 1 large onion, roughly chopped 1 leek, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

200g fennel bulb, roughly chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, crushed

5 spring onions, including the green part, chopped

500g spinach, trimmed and roughly chopped (or left whole if not too big)

200g swiss chard, trimmed and roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon (or more to taste)

2 tbsp chopped dill

2 tbsp chopped parsley sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. The next day, drain and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, drain and cover again with plenty of fresh water. Return to the heat, add a little salt and the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 40-60 minutes or until the beans are tender but not overcooked. Drain, reserving 160ml of the cooking water.

While the beans are cooking, place a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, leek and fennel. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the ground coriander. Cook, stirring, until everything begins to soften. Add the garlic and spring onions and stir for another minute.

Mix in the spinach and chard, adding in batches in order to wilt them down before adding the next. Adjust the seasoning and spoon the contents of the pan into the base of a deep baking tin or dish, making sure you scrape everything from the pan.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Season the drained beans with salt and pepper and arrange them on top of the greens. Pour in the reserved cooking water from the beans and 80ml of the olive oil, cover and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Uncover, mix in the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice and chopped herbs, then return to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes or until they look almost caramelised. Remove from the oven, cover and let them rest for 15 minutes before serving.

TIP Most important for success here, as with many recipes featuring pulses, is the quality of the beans. I buy them dried and I make sure they are all from the same year’s harvest. The time they will require to boil always depends on their quality and freshness.