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Gigandes recipe?


naxos

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Soak beans overnight and then cover 1-2" with water, some salt and aromatics: onion, leek, garlic, carrot; tie in a bundle stalk of celery with leaves, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, parsley. Cook until very soft and creamy. Add more water as it cooks to keep beans submerged. Pick out the herb bundle and the carrot and onion, leek, garlic cloves (if desired). Depending on how much broth you have, serve the beans with or without all or any of it. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped fresh herbs: parsley, oregano or dill. Grated lemon zest. Serve with cracked pepper and more salt, if needed.

Be aware that these are huge when cooked (hence their name) and 1/2 pound of dry beans cooked will be numerous servings.

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That sounds great! Last summer on Ikaria, gigandes were my favorite on the meze plate and sometimes as a main course- it seems that on the islsnds, tomatoes are a usual ingredient and the beans are finished in the oven.

I have also had marinated gigandes - in a vinegary vinaigrette from Wagshalls - and they are good as well. I am looking forward to my first try.

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One of my favorite current salads is quinoa with marinated gigande beans.  I starred doing this because I was buying gigande bean salad in vinaigrette from P&C Market and wanted to stretch it.  It's a tiny container (a thin flat 8 oz. container), but the beans and vinaigrette/marinade are perfect with 1 cup (dry) quinoa, cooked, which is 4 cups.  Sometimes I'll add a little extra oil and vinegar and chopped parsley.  There are some bits of peppers in the salad, and the last time I added quick-pickled banana peppers as well.

I'm looking to buy some dried gigande beans to recreate this, especially since they don't always have this at the market and it's expensive.

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You can get them at the Greek Deli on 19th st. They sell dried ones on the shelves to the right as you enter.

Thanks.  I was thinking I'd have to mail order, but that would be closer.

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Super H has two-pound bags for $3.99.  They are in the section with the Middle Eastern staples and are labeled Asmar's Large Lima Beans.  According to the label, it's a local distributor, so there's a good chance they are elsewhere around town.  I've seen these products at Shoppers, but I never looked for the giant beans.  The beans in the bag I got are just gorgeous.  Clean, unblemished, shiny, unbroken, and over an inch on the long axis, so they should be really gigante when cooked. 

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