Large White Beans in Tomato Sauce (Gigantes Plaki)

Step 1

Soak the dried beans overnight or for a minimum of 4 - 6 hours.

Step 2 - Prepare the ingredients

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Peel and finely slice the onion.

Peel and finely slice the garlic - for a milder flavour - peel and keep whole.

Juice the lemon.

Rinse the herbs.

Chop the mint.

Chop the parsley.

Skin and Chop the tomatoes -reserving all of their juices.

Step 3 - Make the Sauce and cook the beans

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Place the pot over moderate heat and add the olive oil and onion with a teaspoon of salt.

Cook the onion gently until it softens, then add the garlic.

Once the garlic begins to colour, add the tomatoes.

Drain the beans and rinse and add them with a little thyme or oregano and the bay leaves.

Barely cover with water and simmer gently - partly covered with a lid until the beans begin to soften.  This may take up to an hour even a little more - depending upon the quality of the beans.  You can use a simmer mat to help regulate the heat if you need to.

Taste - Add salt and pepper to season.

Add lemon juice and a pinch of sugar with the chopped mint.

Continue cooking until the beans are completely tender.  Be careful not to overcook them though or they fall apart.

Add parsley towards the end of cooking time.

Taste and season again with salt and pepper as necessary.

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Step 4 - ​

Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature.

You can store the beans in a covered jar or container in the refrigerator for a few days.

To reheat - remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature and then gently reheat in a saucepan.