Best Gigante Beans Recipes

GIGANTE BEANS

Steps:

• Place beans in large bowl. Pour enough water over to cover beans by 3 inches; let soak overnight. Drain beans; set aside.
• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and garlic and sauté until onions are golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add beans, 8 cups chicken broth, tomatoes with juice, vinegar, ouzo, oregano, and crushed red pepper to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, adding more broth by cupfuls to keep beans submerged and stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 hours, depending on freshness of beans. If necessary, uncover and cook beans until tomato mixture thickens and liquid is slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Season beans to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: beans can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm beans before continuing, adding more chicken broth by 1/2 cupfuls if beans are dry.
• Stir chopped fresh dill into beans. Serve with octopus .

GIGANTE BEANS

Steps:

• Soak the beans in water overnight.
• Soooooooooooo...if you didn't think yesterday to soak your beans you can do the "quick soak" method, which is to put your beans in a pot covered by at least 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat off and let the pot sit until the water cools down naturally and then pick up the process as if you had soaked the beans overnight.
• Strain the beans from the soaking water. Put the beans in a large pot and cover generously with water. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and bacon skin. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the beans until all the beans are soft, about 1 hour. Add more water if it reduces too much. Test the beans for doneness by doing the 5 bean test. Bite 5 beans, if they are all soft then they are done. Beans do NOT all cook at the same rate so the 5 bean test is important.
• When the beans are cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Season the water generously with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Transfer the beans to a serving bowl and serve. If not using the beans right away, store them in the refrigerator in their liquid.
• Beans, beans the musical fruit...

GIGANTE BEANS

Steps:

• Using a strainer, rinse beans. Place rinsed beans in a medium bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight.
• Drain beans and rinse; put beans in a medium pot and cover with 6 inches of water. Add bay leaves and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender. Season with salt and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain beans and discard bay leaves.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and stir frequently until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, anise seed, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute.
• Add beans and thyme to vegetables and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cool. Toss with parsley just before serving.

GRILLED OCTOPUS WITH GIGANTE BEANS AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Sprinkle octopus with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add octopus to pot and cook uncovered until octopus releases its liquid and most of liquid in pot evaporates, turning occasionally with tongs, 20 to 25 minutes. Add wine, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until octopus is very tender when pierced with fork, about 2 hours. Using tongs, transfer octopus to rimmed baking sheet and cool. If desired, rub off outer skin from octopus and discard. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Cut octopus tentacles crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on platter and brush with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill octopus slices until heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl and add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano; toss to coat.
• Place Gigante beans in large shallow bowl. Top with octopus mixture and serve.

PRESSURE-COOKER GIGANTE BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in pressure cooker over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add beans, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, and 5 cups water. Seal pressure cooker according to manufacturer's instructions and cook on high pressure 50 minutes. Manually release pressure. Beans should be tender and creamy; if not, reseal and cook 10 minutes longer. Season with more salt if needed.
• Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is thickened, tomatoes begin to break down, and beans are very tender, 25-30 minutes. Season with salt, if needed.
• Serve beans topped with feta, oregano, and more red pepper flakes and drizzled with oil, with lemon for squeezing over.

GIGANTE BEANS WITH FETA AND BITTER GREENS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Drain beans, and add to pot. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and just barely simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, about 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Blanch dandelion greens until tender and no longer bitter, about 9 minutes. Transfer to ice-water bath using a slotted spoon.
• Once beans are tender, add vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Drain dandelion greens, and add to pot. Rewarm if needed.
• Divide beans among 4 bowls, and top with feta and dill. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil.

GRILLED BABY ARTICHOKE, GIGANTE BEANS AND FETA SALAD

Steps:

• First, marinate the cooked Gigante beans and artichokes in the vinaigrette for marinade. Do this while they are still warm from cooking so they absorb the marinade as they cool. It is best to prepare these the day before so they fully take on the flavor of the marinade.
• Toss the artichoke halves, roasted red pepper, basil leaves, feta cheese and Gigante beans together with 3/4-ounce of the vinaigrette. Season with a pinch of pepper, as the feta is already salty.
• Place on a chilled dinner plate, making sure all elements are exposed, in a croissant- shaped mound, leaving the void on the plate at the two 'o clock position.
• Dress the arugula with the remaining 1/4-ounce vinaigrette and place in a tight bundle in the void on the plate.
• Garnish the edge of the salad with basil oil.
• Toast sliced garlic in 2 tablespoons canola oil. Whisk together the toasted garlic and all other ingredients except the remaining oils. Slowly whisk the oil into the vinegar mixture to emulsify. Season with salt, pepper, sugar.

BACKYARD GIGANTE BEANS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Place the gigante beans in a saucepan and cover with water. Soak overnight.
• The next day, add to the beans the bay leaves, garlic, red chile flakes and some salt. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 1 hour, then drain and remove the bay leaves.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place two-thirds of the cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and put into the oven. Roast until caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• To a food processor, add the celery, carrots, onions and remaining butternut squash. Process until the vegetables are uniform in shape.
• Put a saute pan over medium-high heat and add oil to coat. Once heated, add the processed sofrito and season with salt and pepper. Saute until caramelized, 30 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.
• To the saucepan of beans, add the roasted squash, sofrito, tomatoes, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, lime juice and papalo. Stir to combine and taste. Season if necessary.
• Serve garnished with squash blossoms, if desired and if they are available!

EGGS WITH GIGANTE BEANS AND HARISSA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: In a large, dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush lightly.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in onion and bell pepper; cook until vegetables are translucent but not tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in harissa, tomatoes (break up with a wooden spoon), vinegar, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the toasted cumin. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. (Sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
• Prepare the eggs and beans: Combine beans and 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in a few tablespoons of reserved bean liquid. Cook gently until warmed through. Add salt to taste. If necessary, warm harissa sauce over medium heat.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil. Crack in eggs; use spatula to push the whites back into shape. Cook gently, without moving, until yolks are warm but not set, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Spread 2 tablespoons crème fraîche onto the center of four serving plates, then some warm harissa sauce. Top each with a slice of toast and drizzle with olive oil, then more harissa. Spoon beans over toast. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves, small sprigs and a light squeeze of lemon juice. Place two eggs on top of each helping of beans. Shave mojama generously over each plate or top with prosciutto, sliced into ribbons.