Gigantes plaki: Greek baked butter beans

Big, creamy butter beans baked in an oregano and tomato sauce with dill and parsley until the top goes sticky at the edges. A Greek taverna classic to mop up with crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 60 ml Olive oil
• 1 Onions, chopped
• 100 g Carrots, finely chopped
• 0.2 Celery, 2 sticks, chopped
• 0.2 Garlic, 3 cloves, sliced
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 3 g Dried oregano
• 1 g Ground cinnamon
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes
• 5 g Caster sugar
• 1200 g Butter beans, 3 tins, drained
• 200 g Spinach
• 15 g Fresh dill, chopped
• 15 g Fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 g Salt
• 1 Ciabatta
• 1 Lemons, in wedges

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Warm half the oil in a wide ovenproof pan and gently cook the onion, carrot and celery until soft.
2. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée, oregano and cinnamon for a minute, then add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and 200ml water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the butter beans, spinach and most of the herbs. If your pan isn't ovenproof, tip it all into a baking dish. Drizzle the rest of the oil over the top.
4. Bake uncovered until the sauce is thick and the beans on top are golden and a little crispy.
5. Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with the rest of the herbs and serve with warm bread and lemon wedges.