Serves 6 (as a side)
Ingredients
500 g dried lima beans or butter beans, soaked overnight
2 red onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
8 tbs Golden Groves Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 capsicums, sliced lengthways
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 x 400g cans diced tomato
1/2 cup dill, chopped
6 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
3 lemons, juiced
Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Soak your beans in plenty of water overnight or for at least 12 hours; this will help them to cook evenly.
- The next day, cover the beans with water in a pot. Salt the water generously and add 2 tablespoons of oil and a few sprigs of thyme - I find the oil helps with the texture.
- Bring up to a boil, then tun down to a simmer; the beans should take around 25 minutes to cook through. Make sure you cook them until they're creamy but not falling apart, as they'll get cooked a second time.
- Once cooked, take them off the heat and allow them to cool in the cooking liquid. I find this prevents them from drying out.
- While the beans are cooking, start your base for the sauce. Preheat your Ove to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Sauté your onions for around 15 minutes until they are translucent, then add your garlic.
- Sauté your garlic for around 30 seconds, then add in your capsicums.
- Cook out the capsicums on a medium-low heat until they've lost a fair bit of their liquid and have started to caramelise. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Add in your tomato paste, fry off for around a minute, then add your cans of tomatoes. Also add in a can of full water.
- Simmer until the sauce has come together; around 20 minutes.
- Drain your beans, leaving a little of their cooking liquid to one side in case you need it during the baking process.
- Then mix the sauce through the beans, add in a few sprigs of thyme and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until you get nice crunchy caramel bits on the tops, which will take around 20 - 30 minutes.
- Once the beans are finished, let them cool slightly before seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. Stir through the dill now, too.
We love to garnish our gigantes with feta and eat whilst they're hot.
Enjoy!