Pani's Mum's famous butter beans 🇬🇷🫘

The summer-soaked Greek bean dish you need this szn

In case you missed it, this week’s essay was a podcast episode with Pani Soutis, a bon vivant and talented friend with a career and life steeped in the pleasure of food. You can listen to the episode here, where we talk about cooking alone, the real difference between Greek and Cypriot food and what we think about gatekeeping restaurants.

🎧 Unfiltered: Table Culture & Restaurant Scenes with Pani Soutis

“Gigantes is a traditional Greek vegetarian dish of slow-roasted butter beans and vegetables cooked in tomato sauce with plenty of olive oil. It's best served a few hours after cooking when almost at room temperature, allowing for the flavours to infuse and deepen. If you can wait, it tastes even better the next day. Eat like a Greek and accompany your gigantes with a chunk of feta, some Kalamata olives and sesame crusted bread.

Friends through the ages have loved my mum's butter beans; they've requested the recipe and successfully cooked it. And here it is in all its glory, with some small amends from me. I add sugar, smoked paprika, cinnamon and oregano for my preferred tomato sauce.” - Pani Soutis

not specifically Pani’s Mum’s, but a delicious bowl of beany goodness in Greece

For four people, you’ll need…