Greek White Kings in the Oven

Giants, a classic, traditional winter dish, with seasonal ingredients. We have said many times that we will always cook seasonally. Every season has its own deliciousness. So, legumes have their place in autumn and throughout the winter. Giant beans have a deliciousness that is distinct from that of
other legumes. In fact, tradition tells us that it is for cooking in an oven. The recipe choices are many, from simple, spicy and even hot, with or without sausage. The list of variations is long. Here you will see a classic recipe, as we cook it in our place, Mani.

What you will need:

  • 1 kg of soaked giant beans
  •  2 cups of extra virgin olive oil Apirooil
  • 2 cups of tea parsley, finely chopped (a little more for garnish)
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped or a spoonful of tomato paste diluted in one or two teacups of water
  • 1 glove of garlic, chopped
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  •  a pinch of salt
  •  a pinch of freshly ground pepper
  •  a pinch of sugar
  • 1 teacup of hot water

Execution:

If you use dried white beans (giants) for the recipe, you will need to do a little planning. Ideally, you should soak the beans in a large bowl of water (3:1 water to bean ratio) a day in advance. If they are soaked enough you will be able to cook them better and easier the next day.

The next day, wash the beans well, drain them and boil them in a pot with cold water and a little coarse salt.

Once they are cooked, pour them into a colander to drain and then into a large ovenproof casserole dish. Add the chopped onions, garlic, parsley, sugar, Apirooil, salt, pepper, a teacup of hot water and the tomatoes or diluted tomato paste. Mix all the ingredients together so that everything becomes one.

Place them in a baking pan at 180°-200° and bake for about 1.5 hours, until the sauce thickens and the beans turn golden brown. The cooking time varies depending on the oven.

We suggest you serve the giants with chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper, a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of the finely chopped tomatoes. Apirooil. And of course feta!

Bon appetit!

20 minutes | for 6 people