Giant Beans Recipe Jamie Oliver Food

HUMBLE HOME-COOKED BEANS

Steps:

• Drain the soaked beans, then give them a good wash. Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water. Throw in the garlic, herb sprigs, bay leaves, celery stick, potato and tomatoes. Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you're using fresh or dried, until soft and cooked nicely. Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.
• When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot. Remove the garlic, herbs, celery, potato and tomatoes from the beans. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pinch the skin off the tomatoes. Put the garlic, tomatoes and potato onto a plate, mash them with a fork and stir back into the beans. Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in 3 generous glugs of extra-virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar. Stir in the parsley and serve on some toasted sourdough bread.
• Take up to 3 scallops and wrap a slice of pancetta round each. Thread them onto a skewer or a sturdy sprig of fresh rosemary and fry them on each side in a little olive oil until golden. Spoon the delicious warm home-cooked beans onto your plate and top with the scallops. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and any juices from the pan. Brilliant!
• "Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"

GIGANTES PLAKI RECIPE (GIGANDES GREEK BAKED 'GIANT' BEANS)

Steps:

• To prepare the gigantes (Gigsntes) plaki, start by soaking the gigantes beans overnight into plenty of water. Drain them into a colander and rinse with plenty of water.
• Place the gigantes in a large pan with cold water, enough to cover them, add a pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes, until tender but not cooked. Drain them in a colander and set aside.
• In the meantime, pour into a large baking pan the olive oil, add the chopped onions, the whole garlic clove (peeled) and bake at 180C, until softened and slightly colored (approx. 15 minutes).
• Turn the baking pan out of the oven. Add the gigantes beans (drained), the celery, the parsley, ½ cup of hot water and season with salt and pepper. Put back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Turn the baking tray out of the oven, blend the gigantes beans lightly with a wooden spoon and pour in the grated tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of oregano and bake the gigantes plaki further for 50-60 minutes at 180C, until the beans are soft and tender and the sauce thickens.
• For an easier alternative, after soaking the gigantes beans overnight, drain and rinse them. Place in a large pan with enough water to cover them and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes, drain them and place into a large baking pan, along with all of the ingredients, cover with some aluminum foil and bake at 180C for approx. 2 hours. The last 30 minutes, bake without the aluminium foil. Enjoy!

GIANT BUTTER BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Drain the canned beans, reserving 200ml of the liquid. Heat the oil in a large flameproof lidded casserole dish, and cook the onions, carrots and celery until tender and the onions are soft and transparent, but not coloured. Stir in the remaining ingredients, reserving half of the chopped herbs and feta (if using).
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cook over a gentle heat for a further 5 mins, then pour over the reserved liquid. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 40 mins. Check occasionally that the beans are not drying out - add a little more water if needed.
• Remove the lid and bake for 10 mins more. Can be made 2 days ahead and reheated. Stir through the reserved chopped herbs, season to taste, then crumble over the remaining feta just before serving.

GIGANTES PLAKI

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain, rinse, then place in a pan covered with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then simmer for approx 50 mins until slightly tender but not soft. Drain, then set aside.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, tip in the onion and garlic, then cook over a medium heat for 10 mins until softened but not browned. Add the tomato purée, cook for a further min, add remaining ingredients, then simmer for 2-3 mins. Season generously, then stir in the beans. Tip into a large ovenproof dish, then bake for approximately 1 hr, uncovered and without stirring, until the beans are tender. The beans will absorb all the fabulous flavours and the sauce will thicken. Allow to cool, then scatter with parsley and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.

JAMIE OLIVER'S BEST-EVER GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Line up the green beans on a chopping board and cut off the stalks.
• Put the beans in a sauce pan of boiling water with a dash of salt and cook for about six minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water, and set them aside to steam dry.
• Put the pan back on the heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir. When the garlic starts to turn golden, add the beans and shake them around in the pan to coat them in the garlic oil.
• Add a small ladleful of the reserved cooking water, the parmesan cheese, and the lemon juice. Stir and simmer until the water and cheese start to form an oozy, sticky sauce. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
• Serves 8

EGGPLANT AND BLACK CHICKPEA ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight, then drain and cook according to the packet instructions, until soft.
• For the orecchiette: Pile the flour on to a clean surface and make a well in the middle. Gradually add 200 millimeters (6.8 ounces) of warm water, using a fork to bring the flour in from the outside until it forms a dough. Knead on a flour-dusted surface, switching between fast and slow kneading, for 10 minutes, or until smooth and firm. Cut the dough into four so you can work with it a quarter at a time. Cover the rest with a clean damp tea towel while you work, to stop it drying out. Roll your first quarter into a long sausage shape about 1 centimeter (3/8 inch) in diameter, then cut it into 1-centimeter (3/8-inch) nuggets. Keep your surface well dusted with flour.
• Now, method number one: starting at the edge furthest away from you, drag a blunt eating knife towards you over a nugget of dough, so it curls round and over the knife. Gently pull the dough off the knife, push your thumb inside and turn it inside out. Repeat, and you'll get it after a while. Method number two requires you to stick your thumb into the centre of a nugget (roll it into a ball first if you want to be more precise), rotate your thumb around to create a round disc, then pick the disc up and hold it between your thumb and forefinger, pulling it gently over your forefinger to make a similarly effective little ear. Transfer to a floured tray as you go.
• Whichever method you choose, repeat with the remaining pasta, shaping and perfecting as you go until all your little ears are done.
• For the sauce, trim the eggplant and zucchini and chop into 2-centimeter (3/4-inch) dice, then peel and finely slice the onion. Cook the veg in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat with the olive oil for 15 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally.
• Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquor. Stir the chickpeas into the veg pan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, loosening with a good splash of reserved liquor. Cook over a low heat for 8 more minutes, then taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook your fresh orecchiette in boiling salted water for 4 minutes (or cook 300 grams (10 ounces) of dried orecchiette according to the packet instructions). Scoop the pasta into the sauce and toss together, loosening with pasta cooking water, if needed, then tuck in.