Beans in Tomato Sauce - Greek Appetizer
Appetizers Simple Recipes Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes Vegetables Vegetable Dishes Greek
Gigantes Plaki is a traditional Greek dish in which large beans (though I used fresh shelled beans from the market) are cooked in a fragrant tomato sauce. It is a simple recipe, but full of flavor. It also scores well on protein and fiber. Serve it warm or cold, as a main course or a side dish, with fresh or toasted bread and, if you like it, with a little feta cheese.
Ingredients
250 g cooked beans (see here how to cook dried beans)
2 large ripe tomatoes (about 500-600 g)
2 large garlic cloves
1 piece of cinnamon stick (2-3 cm)
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon butter (10-15 g)
2 tablespoons cooking cream (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, black pepper
Servings: 2
Calories: 824 cal / total
Protein: 28 g / total
Fiber: 23 g / total (one serving covers half of the daily requirement)
How to prepare beans in tomato sauce - greek appetizer
- You can use canned beans, but ideally use beans cooked at home. You can cook dried beans, but in season (in July) you can cook fresh shelled beans - they cook quickly, in 20-30 minutes. Let them cool in the pot, in the water they were cooked in, so the beans stay nice and plump and the skins don't wrinkle the way they do when you take them out of the water while hot.
- Grate the tomatoes like this: cut them in half and grate them with the flesh towards the grater until you are left with just the clean skin in your hand.
- For the sauce use a wide saucepan or frying pan (about 25-30 cm), the sauce will be ready faster. Heat the oil in the pan and add the crushed garlic, the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Sauté everything for about 1 minute, until the garlic smells pleasant, but without browning.
- Add the grated tomatoes, the oregano, 20 grinds of black pepper and salt to taste. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, over medium heat at first, but as it reduces and starts to splatter, lower the heat. Stir occasionally at first, but in the last 5 minutes stir often so it doesn't burn. It's done when the sauce is thick and the spoon leaves visible trails on the bottom of the pan as you stir. Taste the sauce at the end and if it's very acidic you can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, this depends on the tomato variety and how ripe they are. Remove the cinnamon and the cloves from the sauce.
- Add the butter and the cumin and simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring often. If you like, add the cream now as well, it will make the sauce creamier.
- Add the beans and simmer for a few more minutes. Taste for salt.
- Serve the dish warm or at room temperature. It's delicious simply with toasted bread or sprinkled with a little feta. The Greeks serve it as an appetizer, but I find it just as suitable as a main course.
