Name: Greek-Style Gigante Beans
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 1 pound dry Gigantes or butter beans, soaked overnight; 1 strip of kombu (dried kelp, optional); 3 large onions, thinly sliced; 4 large garlic cloves, minced; 3 large tomatoes, diced or 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes; 2 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with 1/2 cup water; 2 teaspoons sweet paprika; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; Fresh basil and parsley chopped, for garnish; Salt and pepper

1 pound dry Gigantes or butter beans, soaked overnight

1 strip of kombu (dried kelp, optional)

Olive oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

3 large tomatoes, diced or 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with 1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh basil and parsley chopped, for garnish

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse the beans. Place in a large pot of well-salted water with the kombu. Bring to a simmer and gently boil for about an hour or until they are soft but not mushy.

While the beans are cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onions and about a teaspoon of salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another few minutes until garlic is aromatic.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and about ¼ cup olive oil. Let everything simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Add a few spoonfuls of bean cooking water if it looks dry.

When the beans are done, drain them and put them back into the pot. Add the tomato sauce and mix together to coat the beans. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Drizzle a little more oil on top and bake for about 45 minutes until beans are tender. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.