Greek baked beans “gigantes” in the wood fired oven

Greek baked beans “gigantes” (Greek giant beans casserole) is a favorite fall -and winter- meal. Pulses are the main ingredients of our diet during these months that we can’t cook fresh vegetables, such as green beans, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, etc. They are the alternative option and go well with winter vegetables like leek, cabbage, spinach, etc. Pulses are on our menu starting from the second half of fall till’ the first half of spring. There are many traditional ways of cooking pulses. We will share with you a classic oven recipe, “Gigantes” casserole (baked large white beans). There are two factors that will make this dish stand out.; the slow-cooking in the indirect wood-fired oven and the clay baking tray we’ll use. An aromatic recipe packed with flavor and made with ingredients that are in season. It’s served with roasted sausages, a few roasted sardines maybe, but definitely with a generous serving of seasonal salad. Many generations of Greeks have grown up eating pulses, including us. Don’t look down on them. They should be high on your list when planning your meals and when they are in season.

INGREDIENTS

For 1kg of beans:

1 bunch green onions
4 medium carrots
2 medium onions
1 small piece of celery root
½ bunch leaf celery (cut off the stalks)
1.5 tbsp fresh peppermint
400ml tomato juice
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 tsp oregano
200ml extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

To prepare this recipe, start by soaking the “gigantes” beans into plenty of water for 4-5 hours before cooking. Place them in a large pan, after rinsing them with plenty of water. Cover them with warm water so that the liquid level is 5cm (2 inches) above the beans. Let them soak, and then boil them without discarding the water. Now, you have the time you need to finely chop the green onions, but don’t cut them too thin (refer to the video above for further details). Thinly slice the carrots, the celery root, and the herbs. Mix the tomato juice with the tomato paste. Add all these chopped herbs in a large bowl.

After bringing to a boil, check if the beans are soft enough, and add all the ingredients. You don’t have to skim the foam from the surface. Bring to a boil again after adding the ingredients and, since the beans are tender, remove from the stove. Pour the mixture in deep or standard clay baking tray, depending on the quantity of the ingredients (for our mixture, a deep baking tray was necessary). The liquids added at this stage, including the olive oil, should almost cover the white beans.

COOKED ON Indirect wood-fired oven

COOKING

Before boiling the beans, preheat the indirect wood-fired oven. First, clean the remaining ashes from the previous cooking out of your oven’s fire chamber. Place dry hardwood over the kindling as shown in the video. Initiate fire and wait until wood turns into embers and the temperature inside the cooking chamber reaches 200⁰C (392⁰F). Place the baking tray inside the oven, close the door and leave it there for at least 1 hour. It’s important to avoid opening the oven’s door since this will cause the temperature to fluctuate. It’s also important to slow-cook this meal, which means that the temperature has to drop slowly and at a steady rate. The clay baking tray transfers heat steadily and slowly to our food throughout its surface.

Check the temperature after 1 hour. At this point, you will be able to estimate the cooking time overall. The slow-cooking process takes approximately 1.5 hour. Cook until the sauce thickens and the beans are soft and tender. When the “gigantes” beans are ready, remove the tray from the oven and wait until the food cools down.

It’s served warm, but you could also enjoy it as a cold dish the following day. You can also use it as an appetizer to accompany “ouzo”. TIt is commonly served in “ouzeri” stores, a type of Greek tavern.

Always accompany your meals with seasonal vegetables, fresh or roasted, and enjoy them with your company.

Happy cooking everyone!