Fassoulia is the Greek name for beans in general, and any bean at all pairs beautifully with tomatoes. Gigandes Plaki is another name for this dish, specifically referring to the gigandes beans or elephant beans from Macedonia, in plaki or sauce. Butter beans are their closest cousins.
This dish is a regular feature on a Greek dinning table, but traditionally, not as part of mezedes , “little dishes”, or appetizers. Fasssoulia would actually be categorized as a small course or fagakia, when part of a multi-course meal, but it is hearty enough to make a meal themselves. When served with pita bread and a salad this could make for a great lunch or dinner. Fassoulia can be served warm or cold, and when left overnight the flavor improves.
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions
4 plump cloves garlic, chopped
2 14 oz cans elephant beans, butter beans, or other white beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz cans diced Italian plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
1 tsp dried dill or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme or a small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp red wine vinegar
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Toasted pita bread, to serve
Directions
Heat a large saute pan on low heat and add olive oil. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, beans, tomatoes, herbs, honey, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour. Some of the beans will break up and thicken the mixture towards the end of the cooking time. If the mixture seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan you ca add a tiny bit of water, but this dish is not supposed to be soupy - it should be thick enough to stay on one side of the pan when pushed to the side.
Serve warm, with toasted pita bread. The flavor of this dish improves the next day.
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