Cypriot baked beans. You can use jarred or tinned butter beans instead of soaking them.

dried gigantes beans 500g
garlic cloves 2
red onion 1
carrots 2
celery sticks 2
olive oil
dried oregano 1 tsp
tomato purée 1 tbsp
tinned tomatoes 1 x 400g tin
cinnamon stick 1
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
  1. Start the night before by soaking the beans in plenty of water. You’ll need to soak them for at least 12 hours.
  2. When you are ready to cook the beans, place a large saucepan of water on to boil. Drain the soaked beans and place most of them in the boiling water. Reserve a handful and peel off their skin (if possible, some will come off easier than others). I like to do this with a handful of the beans so that they disintegrate into the stew and make it thick and creamy. Once peeled, add them to the pan and simmer for 45 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and roughly chop the onion and carrots. Trim and slice the celery. Place a large casserole pan on a medium-low heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then add all the chopped veg.
  4. Start to soften for 10 minutes, then stir in the oregano and tomato purée. Fry for a minute, then add the tinned tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and 400 ml of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Season generously. Preheat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
  5. When the beans have finished their 45 minutes, spoon them into the tomato sauce with a slotted spoon. I do this, rather than drain them completely, as you want a little of the cooking water in there (reserve a mug of the cooking water for later on, too). Give them a good stir, cover with the lid, and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
  6. When that time’s up, remove them from the oven, stir in a splash of the reserved cooking water and return to the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the rest of the water, add a good drizzle of olive oil, and pop back for a final 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to rest, and serve warm.