Greek "GIGANTES" - Giant baked beans (stew) VEGAN/Γίγαντες πλακί στο φούρνο

RECIPE***

INGREDIENTS :

-1/2kg (500GR or 1lb) Giant Beans (gigantes)
-1 small bunch of parsley
-2 medium carrots, sliced
-3 small onions, sliced
-1/2 or 1 Red bell pepper, sliced (optional)
-5-6 gloves of garlic or to personal taste, slivered
-1 cup grated fresh tomato or diced canned tomatoes (what i used)
-1 heaping Tb of tomato paste diluted in 1 cup of water
-1/2 cup sunflower oil
-1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (TO BE ADDED @ THE VERY END OF COOKING (last 5min); Cretan method of cooking, keeps all the nutrients in the oil intact)
-salt (TO BE ADDED @ AT THE VERY END OF COOKING (last 5min); when you add salt early the beans will remain slightly hard*)
-Pepper to personal taste
-Oregano (TO BE ADDED @ AT THE VERY END OF COOKING (last 5min) when oregano is cooked for long time it becomes bitter*)
-Enough water to cover the beans before putting them in the oven and perhaps some more for during cooking time)
1 small dry chilly (I hid it in there for my husband :P of course optional)

-1 or 2 sticks of celery (for the boiling part)
-1 bay leaf (for the boiling part)

Method:

The video is pretty straight forward but the following tips are crucial...

-SOAK THE BEANS from the night before.
-NEXT DAY: DRAIN, and put them in a pot with water and bring them to a BOIL, for 1/2hr.
-Drain and REPEAT with NEW WATER and boil beans, this time together with a bay leaf and a stick or two of celery for another 20 or so minutes or until beans are soft but NOT to the point that they fall apart....they should still hold their shape...when you try and chew one bean to test it, it should be soft, a little crunch is ok... if that makes sense... mine took about 50min of boiling time in total.

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 475 F or 250 C

-Put together as shown in the video. -Top up with the water and put it in the preheated oven. -Bake for about 45 minutes from when it starts bubbling, then stir and add about a cup of water if too thick and cook for another 15min or until they are left with a little bit of liquid... -Take out of the oven and add the salt (to taste), the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the oregano... stir well and ONLY COOK for another 5min so the new seasonings added blend in with the rest....

ENJOY warm OR cold, they taste great either way, and pair wonderfully with a green, "Lettuce-Dill-Green onion" salad!!!

Hope you liked this video!!!

(*) "Mom's Know Best" Tips ;)