Beans

• Mentioned in: 1.01 - Treasure of Zeus
• The Academy Cook once served beans for a whole week straight. The cadets had a blast.

Recipe

• Gigandes plaki, or giant baked beans, is a popular dish served in Greece. It uses giant white beans, but large lima beans can be substituted if the white beans cannot be acquired.
• Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• pound of yigandes (or big lima beans), soaked for 12 hours, drained
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 pound of ripe tomatoes, peeled, finely chopped (or 16oz. of canned chopped plum tomatoes)
• 2 small cubes of vegetable bouillon (or beef for non-vegetarians/non-vegans)
• sea salt (optional)
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cups of water (1 1/2 cups if using canned tomatoes)

Preparation

• Add the beans to a pot with enough cold water to cover well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a slow boil for 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
• Using a wooden spoon, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes (if using canned, add all liquid as well), bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, parsley, and water, and allow to boil gently for 10-30 minutes, until it begins to thicken.
• Place the beans in an oven-proof pan, add tomato mixture, stir and spread mixture out evenly. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are soft. (Check the dish during cooking and if needed, add a small amount of boiling water.) The dish will look crispy on top.
• Remove from the oven, cover, and allow to cool.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Photos

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Other Links

Yigandes Plaki: Baked Beans & Tomato Casserole