Gigantes plaki are a typical Greek mezze, consisting of beans that are soaked before being slow cooked in a chunky tomato sauce. When made with butter beans, locals will also refer to this dish as "Herakles' beans", referring to the mythological hero Herakles (Hercules) who was known for his superhuman strength. SOURCE OF PROTEIN - Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
225 grams
British Pork and Oregano Sausage Meat
(Contains Cereals containing gluten, Sulphites May contain Soya, Celery, Sulphites, Cereals containing gluten, Milk, Nuts, Fish, Egg, Mustard)
3 unit(s)
Garlic Clove
1 unit(s)
Onion
1 bunch(es)
Flat Leaf Parsley
1 carton(s)
Butter Beans
2 unit(s)
Medium Tomato
1 carton(s)
Tomato Passata
28 grams
Red Wine Stock Paste
(Contains Sulphites)
1 sachet(s)
Dried Oregano
1 sachet(s)
Dried Thyme
1 unit(s)
Ciabatta
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
1 tsp
Sugar for the Sauce
100 milliliter(s)
Water for the Sauce
1 tbsp
Olive Oil for the Garlic Bread
Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, wide-bottomed ovenproof pan on medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the sausage meat and fry until browned, 5-6 mins.
Use a spoon to break it up as it cooks, then drain and discard any excess fat. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat. It's cooked when no longer pink in the middle.
In the meantime, peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve, peel and chop the onion into small pieces.
Roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all). Drain and rinse the butter beans in a sieve. Cut the tomatoes into medium chunks.
Once the sausage meat is cooked, transfger to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Wipe out the pan.
Heat a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter (if you have any) in the (now empty) pan on medium heat.
Once hot, add the onion, season with salt and pepper and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, 8-10 mins.
Add the tomato chunks and half the garlic and fry for 1-2 mins more.
Stir in the cooked sausage meat, passata, red wine stock paste, butter beans, oregano, thyme, sugar and water for the sauce (see pantry for both amounts). Bring up to the boil, then lower to a simmer.
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for 10-15 mins.
While your gigantes plaki are in the oven, halve the ciabatta and lay onto a medium baking tray, cut-side up. Drizzle with the olive oil for the garlic bread (see pantry for amount), spread over the remaining garlic and sprinkle over half the parsley.
When there are 5 mins left, bake the garlic bread on the bottom shelf of your oven until golden, 4-5 mins.
When your gigantes plaki are ready, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Share the gigantes plaki between your serving bowls. Sprinkle over the remaining parsley.
Serve the herby garlic ciabatta alongside.
Enjoy!