Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce)

• 500 g Butter beans, dried
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 2 medium Carrot
• 2 slices Celery
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 800 g Canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 20 g Fresh parsley

1. Put the butter beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and leave to soak for 10–12 hours. Drain and rinse well in a colander.
2. Tip the soaked beans into a large pot and cover with fresh water by a few centimetres. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 45–60 minutes until tender but not falling apart; skim any foam if needed. Drain, reserving 300 ml of the cooking water.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Finely chop the onion, cut the carrots into small chunks, slice the celery, and thinly slice the garlic.
4. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and glossy. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, dried oregano, remaining salt and the black pepper. Pour in the reserved bean cooking water and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavours. Stir in the drained beans and simmer for 5 minutes so they are well coated.
6. Tip everything into a baking dish and level the top so the beans sit mostly under the sauce. Bake for 45–55 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the sauce is thick and the top is lightly caramelised. If it looks dry at any point, add a splash of water and continue baking.
7. Finely chop the parsley and stir most of it through the beans, reserving a little to finish. Rest for 10 minutes so the sauce settles, then scatter over the remaining parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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