In the Netherlands, we often go to a Greek restaurant. And there you always see those giant white beans. They call them Gigantes. These Gigantes are also very easy to make on the barbecue.
We are going to make the Gigantes using a roasting tray on the barbecue. Place it over the heat and stir fry the onions with a bit of olive oil until translucent. Make sure the onions do not turn brown. Onion becomes nice and sweet when it gets warm and a little bitter again when it burns.
Then stir-fry the tomato puree with the onion mixture. After this, the roasting pan has to be removed from the heat, and we continue indirectly.
Empty the whole tin of peeled tomatoes into the roasting tray. You can crush the tomatoes as Jamie Oliver does, but then you immediately have dirty hands. You can also quickly chop them with a wooden spatula. To make the Gigantes a bit sweeter, we add some honey.
Drain the cans of lima beans before adding the beans to the tray. Leave a little juice. A little bean juice thickens the sauce. Add some fresh herbs such as dill, parsley and oregano. Stir well once more and close the lid. Make sure that the temperature does not exceed 160°C (320F); otherwise, the sugars in the honey will burn.
The Gigantes are now heated for about 45 minutes. As long as the temperature in the grill does not get too high, you can cook them for a while longer. Serve with other typical Greek dishes such as Keftedes and Souzouki.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 chopped red onions
- 140 grams of tomato paste
- 600 grams of peeled tomatoes
- 5 tablespoons of honey
- 1 kilo of lima beans
- a few sprigs of fresh dill
- a few sprigs of fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
- a little salt to taste
Instructions
- Light the barbecue and provide 2 zones with a boiler temperature of around 150°C (302F)
- Place a roasting tin over the hot side and add the olive oil and onions. Let the onions become translucent but not brown.
- Empty the can of tomato puree into the roasting tin and stir for 1 minute. Now put the roasting pan on the cool side.
- Add the peeled tomatoes and honey. Crush all the tomatoes.
- Drain the lima beans and put the beans in the roasting pan. Finely chop the dill and parsley and toss it in. Stir well.
- Taste if you still need salt. Then close the lid.
- The Gigantes are ready after 45 minutes to an hour.
