It’s been hot in Los Angeles, but I’ll never be one of those people who just won’t cook in July and August. I can’t subsist on ice cream and limp lettuce. So when it’s very (very) hot I try to keep a cool head and devise low-effort meals. The trick is to choose make-ahead dishes that are worth the effort. Well for me just about anything slathered on toast is worth the effort. You can make a whole meal from build-it-yourself crostini. It’s kind of like the “cheese and crackers” model that you loved as a kid. While cheese is nice, these days I’m also more likely to broaden the choices of what might appear on the platter. It’s a common practice known as meze in Mediterranean cultures, pintxos among the Basque, and I swear the Hawaiians call it a pu pu platter. However today I want to talk about just one element from my “pu pu platter” – what the Greeks call Gigantes Plaki, or giant beans.
Usually served with bread, Gigantes Plaki (Giant beans baked in tomato sauce, sometimes spelled gigandes) often appear alongside things like olives, feta cheese, tzatziki, and hummus, as part of a meze spread before dinner. However, I served a similar meze platter as dinner when I made these beans. As I said it was hot and the beans (which I cooked early in the morning before the heat set in) were the only thing that required the oven.
Gigantes Plaki
Busy schedule? No worries – Gigantes Plaki can easily be made in parts or stages. They’ll last for days in the refrigerator too. GREG
PS I found these beans at Rancho Gordo.
OMG! Gigantes are my fave and the one time I made them fresh, they were stale and took a lifetime to cook. It’s hard to even find them (other than Papa Cristo’s. I didn’t know Rancho Gordo sells them. I also didn’t know that you bake them! Wow, I am definitely going to make this! (I’ve been so desperate for them, I have bought the canned ones in tomato sauce at Trader Joe’s (they’re imported from Greece, but still…)
Love bean dishes! And I agree about cooking — we do try to limit t a bit (not many braises, but we still do some), but there are only so many cold dishes we can eat. This looks excellent — thanks.
Never heard of this unique dish. Can’t wait to try it out, though.
I love these beans and have only seen them already prepared in a jar at Trader Joe’s. Now I have to make them myself.
I’m with you on the heat factor. I’ve also been trying to find inventive things to make that are either quick-cooking, or don’t require heat in the first place. I’ve never had this kind of bean before, I don’t think. I love the way you’ve prepared them.
This sound delicious, Greg. I can’t seem to keep from cooking either. 🙂
So, are these actual Greek beans? I’ve never seen them! Great recipe.
The bean itself appears in many cultures. In the south, we called them runner beans or butter beans. It’s the preparation that is Greek. GREG
As I am preparing a tapas meal for this evening, I wish I had thought of these! Thanks for the source for the beans — haven’t been able to find them in Tucson!