Giant Butter Bean Stew Recipes

GIGANTES PLAKI RECIPE (GIGANDES GREEK BAKED 'GIANT' BEANS)

Steps:

• To prepare the gigantes (Gigsntes) plaki, start by soaking the gigantes beans overnight into plenty of water. Drain them into a colander and rinse with plenty of water.
• Place the gigantes in a large pan with cold water, enough to cover them, add a pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes, until tender but not cooked. Drain them in a colander and set aside.
• In the meantime, pour into a large baking pan the olive oil, add the chopped onions, the whole garlic clove (peeled) and bake at 180C, until softened and slightly colored (approx. 15 minutes).
• Turn the baking pan out of the oven. Add the gigantes beans (drained), the celery, the parsley, ½ cup of hot water and season with salt and pepper. Put back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Turn the baking tray out of the oven, blend the gigantes beans lightly with a wooden spoon and pour in the grated tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of oregano and bake the gigantes plaki further for 50-60 minutes at 180C, until the beans are soft and tender and the sauce thickens.
• For an easier alternative, after soaking the gigantes beans overnight, drain and rinse them. Place in a large pan with enough water to cover them and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes, drain them and place into a large baking pan, along with all of the ingredients, cover with some aluminum foil and bake at 180C for approx. 2 hours. The last 30 minutes, bake without the aluminium foil. Enjoy!

BUTTER BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan.
• Gently fry the leeks until softened, which would take about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
• Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and fry for 5 minutes, or until browned.
• Tip in the beans and give it a stir, ensuring the heat is now set to its highest setting.
• Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes.
• Lower the heat until it reaches a slow simmering point.
• Pour in the stock, and let everything in the stew simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the cream, simmer for another 1 minute, then remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Serve with rice and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!

GIANT BUTTER BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Drain the canned beans, reserving 200ml of the liquid. Heat the oil in a large flameproof lidded casserole dish, and cook the onions, carrots and celery until tender and the onions are soft and transparent, but not coloured. Stir in the remaining ingredients, reserving half of the chopped herbs and feta (if using).
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cook over a gentle heat for a further 5 mins, then pour over the reserved liquid. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 40 mins. Check occasionally that the beans are not drying out - add a little more water if needed.
• Remove the lid and bake for 10 mins more. Can be made 2 days ahead and reheated. Stir through the reserved chopped herbs, season to taste, then crumble over the remaining feta just before serving.

GIGANTES (GREEK LIMA BEANS)

Steps:

• Place the lima beans in a large saucepan. Pour enough water to fill to 2 inches above top of the beans. Allow to soak overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes; drain. Pour the beans into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and dill; stir.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if the mixture appears dry.

GIGANTES WITH TOMATOES AND GREENS

Steps:

• Drain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 1½-2 hours until the beans are just tender.
• Gently soften the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes. When soft, stir in the paprika, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, 100ml/3½fl oz water, salt and pepper.
• Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the chard and take off the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
• When the beans are cooked, drain them and mix with the tomato and chard sauce, adding a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped herbs.
• Transfer the beans to a casserole pan, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 35-40 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce thickened and bubbling. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

BUTTER BEAN STEW WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.
• Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with oil and scatter the vegetables and garlic on top.
• Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the top, then use a spatula to mix it all together and get all of the vegetables nicely coated. Arrange them so they aren't overlapping too much at the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes, removing once halfway through to mix up and flip the vegetables around. Your veggies may need closer to 60 minutes to get properly caramelized if you've overloaded the pan a little (as I usually do!)
• Once they are ready (you want them fully softened with crispy edges and all of the marinade evaporated from the bottom of the pan), remove from the oven and very quickly add in the Italian herbs and smoked paprika. Mix through with the spatula. The residual heat and oil will bring out the herb's scent and flavors without risk of burning them.
• Once fragrant, quickly add the red wine to the pan. It will bubble for a few moments.
• Once the wine has stopped bubbling, add the tomatoes, passata, butter beans and olives. Give it all a good stir.
• Now cover the pan and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and mix the spinach and mint in. It will start to wilt from the residual heat of the stew.
• Serve.