Gigandes plaki
Encyclopedia
Gigandes plaki, also spelled Gigantes or Yigandes (Greek "γίγαντες πλακί", ˈʝiɣades plaˈci) is a Greek dish known in English as giant baked beans. The name Gigantes comes from the Greek word for giant, hence giant beans. Gigandes plaki is a vegetarian meze
dish that consists of large bean
s (gigantes) cooked in a tomato
-based
sauce.
), tomato
es, onion
s, olive oil
, parsley
, and sugar
. When fasolia gigandes cannot be obtained, large lima beans are suitable substitutes. Other vegetables such as garlic
, carrot
s, and celery
are sometimes used, and some recipes even use sausage
s.
As with many bean
s, the fasolia gigandes must be soaked overnight in plenty of cold water. Then the beans are boiled until tender and the rest of ingredients are added. The cooking method for the gigandes plaki is to sauté all of the ingredients for 20 minutes. Then the beans are baked in the oven
until the top layer of the dish is slightly charred from the sugar reacting to the heat. The beans are garnished with parsley and Greek feta
, then served with Greek bread
alongside this dish.
alongside other side dish
es. However, this dish is filling enough to be eaten for lunch. This hearty meze is popular during the cold fall and winter months. As with many Greek dishes, bread is used to dip in to the tomato sauce drippings.
from the other vegetables, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans if the sausages and cheese are excluded.
Meze
Meze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
dish that consists of large bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s (gigantes) cooked in a tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
-based
Cooking base
Cooking base, sometimes called soup base, is a concentrated flavoring compound used in place of stock for the creation of soups, sauces, and gravies. Since it can be purchased rather than prepared fresh, it is commonly used in restaurants where cost is a more important factor than achieving haute...
sauce.
Cooking methods
Although there are many variations to this popular dish, it usually consists of Greek fasolia gigandes (giant white beansCommon bean
Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is an herbaceous annual plant domesticated independently in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes, and now grown worldwide for its edible bean, popular both dry and as a green bean. The leaf is occasionally used as a leaf vegetable, and the straw is used for fodder...
), tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, and sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
. When fasolia gigandes cannot be obtained, large lima beans are suitable substitutes. Other vegetables such as garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s, and celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
are sometimes used, and some recipes even use sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s.
As with many bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, the fasolia gigandes must be soaked overnight in plenty of cold water. Then the beans are boiled until tender and the rest of ingredients are added. The cooking method for the gigandes plaki is to sauté all of the ingredients for 20 minutes. Then the beans are baked in the oven
Oven
An oven is a thermally insulated chamber used for the heating, baking or drying of a substance. It is most commonly used for cooking. Kilns, and furnaces are special-purpose ovens...
until the top layer of the dish is slightly charred from the sugar reacting to the heat. The beans are garnished with parsley and Greek feta
Feta
Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
, then served with Greek bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
alongside this dish.
Serving methods
Traditionally, gigandes plaki are served as a mezeMeze
Meze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
alongside other side dish
Side dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.-Common types:...
es. However, this dish is filling enough to be eaten for lunch. This hearty meze is popular during the cold fall and winter months. As with many Greek dishes, bread is used to dip in to the tomato sauce drippings.
Nutritional information
Overall, gigandes plaki is a healthy and nutritious food. It is a rich source for anti-oxidants from the tomatoes, and fiberFiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
from the other vegetables, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans if the sausages and cheese are excluded.
See also
- PilakiPilakiPilaki is a style of Turkish meze and may refer to several dishes that are cooked in a sauce made out of onion, garlic, carrot, potato, tomato or tomato paste, sugar, and olive oil. Beans prepared in this style are served cold, garnished with parsley and slices of lemon...
and PiyazPiyazPiyaz is a kind of Turkish salad or meze that is made from any kind of dry beans with hard-boiled egg and vegetables. Common additional ingredients include onion, parsley and sumac. In Antalya province of Turkey it is prepared differently from other regions with other ingredients like sesame oil....
, similar Turkish dishes. - RajmaRajmaRājmā or Rāzmā is a popular North Indian vegetarian dish consisting of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with lots of Indian whole spices and usually served with rice and roti. Although, kidney bean is not of Indian origin, it is a part of regular diet in northern regions Punjab, Kashmir, Delhi,...
, an Indian bean dish. - Red beans and riceRed beans and riceRed beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine traditionally made on Mondays with red beans, vegetables , spices and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice...
, a Louisiana Creole specialty.