Our beloved Chef Carolina Doriti, prepared a traditional food using the Wise Greece products, giant beans in the oven with tomato sauce, mushrooms and… ouzo! It will become on of your favorite dishes…
Ingredients for 4-6 portions:
250gr giant beans
3 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 cup
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ leek, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chopped celery (just the stalk)
3 tablespoons chopped fennel
1/3 cup ouzo
220gr Mushroom saganaki with ouzo & tomato by Terra Fyllida
150gr fresh tomato grated or pulsed in a blender, or canned tomato pulp
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp chili flakes
½ cup water
½ cup chopped fennel fronds
½ cup chopped dill
1 ½ cup water from the beans (the water that the beans boiled in)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooking instructions:
Place beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of fresh water. Soak overnight for 8-12 hours. Next day drain them, rinse them and place them in a large cooking pot. Cover again with plenty of fresh water, and bring to boil. Simmer for about 40-50 minutes or until beans are tender enough to eat. Once ready make sure you reserve the water that is left in there.
Preheat oven at 180°C.
Place a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and saute the onion and leek until soft and glossy. Add in the bay leaf, garlic, fennel and celery, stir and next add in the carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir for about a minute and then add in the ouzo and stir again. Add in the mushroom saganaki, the tomato pulp and paste, ½ tsp sweet paprika, the chili flakes and ½ cup water. Bring the heat down to low and gently simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the sauce cooks down and thickens. Remove from heat, adjust seasoning if necessary, and mix in the chopped herbs.
Place strained cooked giant beans in a baking tray, pour the sauce on top and mix in the water from the cooked beans. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover, toss them a bit to coat them with sauce and place back in the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes or so until they get a nice color on top and look almost caramelized. Remove from the oven and mix in the ½ cup of olive oil. Let stand for 10-15 minutes and serve.
Product we used:
