Giant beans (lima beans) like my grandma used to cook them! Sweet red paprika, leek, grated carrot and fragrant spearmint make the difference in this recipe.

I had the happiness of having 3 grandmothers and each of them gave me a different gift. One made me to love cooking, the other to be inventive and recycle things and my grandmother who I had more than anyone in my life because she lived up to 103 years old, showed me to be understanding and patient with the people around me.

This recipe is dedicated to my 3 grandmothers and I have something from them in the photo. The tablecloth with the lace is made from one. The Pot Holders are made of the other one and are from fabric that was an old tablecloth and she recycled it, and the fork is from my other grandmother.

So this simple and delicious recipe has all three. Also, I have add less oil in the recipe, even though this food needs quite a lot of oil, because this is how I learned from my mother and her mother, to reduce oil and sugar in all our recipes.

This dish is made with ingredients that are naturally gluten-free! But they are eaten with Daisy Shaped Gluten-Fee Bread (see recipe here).

Yields6 ServingsDifficultyBeginner

Tip: Check off the ingredients you have used in the recipe or note the ingredients you have and add the rest to you shopping list to buy them. - Attention: All ingredients must be checked that are Gluten-Free and without traces of gluten.

250 g giants beans / lima beans

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 sprig of leek, chopped

2 carrots cut into slices

2 carrots grated

1 red sweet pepper, (Stocky Red Roaster) chopped (optional)

3 celery stalks chopped and some celery root chopped

5 spearmint leaves, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped or on food prossesor

⅓ cup olive oil preferably extra virgin

1 tbsp sugar

½ orange, the juice only

½ tbsp red sweet paprika

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Abbreviations: g=grams • kg= kilograms • cup=250 ml • tsp= teaspoon=5 ml • tbsp= tablespoon=3 tsp=15 ml • ml= millilitre= (1ml=0.034 fl oz / 1fl oz=29.6 ml) • l=litre/liter=1000ml

From the previous day, put the beans in a large bowl of water to soak for 24 or more hours, so that they swell a lot.

Put the beans in the pot. Pour it with water, approx. 3-4 cm/1 ½” inch above the beans and transfer them to the fire.

When the water starts to boil, lower the heat and let them simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat to soften. At first they will foam on the surface. I once read from a chef that we don't need to skim them because that way they lose their flavor. The foams subside after a while and retain flavor.

While the giants are boiling, cut the vegetables.

After 45 minutes, when our beans have boiled, add all our vegetables to the pot except the tomato. Add the salt. If necessary, add a little more water. Let them boil on medium heat for about 45 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the chopped/grated tomatoes, olive oil, sugar, orange juice, pepper, red sweet and smoked paprika and leave it aside for later.

Preheat our oven to 180°C/350°F.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the contents of pot to a baking pan. If the slotted spoon is difficult for you, strain the contents with a strainer but keep some of this stock.

Pour over and mix the beans with the tomato in which we had mixed the spices and add some stock from the pot that had been boiled, so that the beans are well covered.

Bake for about 1 hour or more so that the liquids are been reduced.

You can eaten them either hot or cold (room temperature).

Ingredients