Hi there,

Have you ever used gigante beans? I was looking through some Italian cookbooks and found reference to this very large white bean. So, like Jack, I became curious about what was growing on this particular beanstalk. When the bag arrived the size was truly gigantic when compared with cannelleni beans.

So I covered these beauties in water overnight. The next day I drained them and put the beans in my slow cooker. I covered the beans with chicken stock cooked with them with an onion a couple of bay leaves for about 4 hours or until tender. I didn’t season the beans very much because my intention was to use the beans for a couple of different meals.

The bean bake that follows I used as I side dish to chicken for dinner but if you add a protein, such as roasted shrimp or sautéed sausage, it would make a fine dinner.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb cooked gigantic beans
• 1 cup sautéed diced onions and carrots
• 1 12 ounce jar of Delallo mild peppers and sauce
• 1/4 cup of seasoned panko
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Preparation

• sautée the diced onions and carrots
• in a small casserole dish combine the beans, peppers, and the carrots and onion
• top with a combination of panko and parmesan cheese
• bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I think it is sure to please all the giants and little Jacks who live in your home.

I purchased these beans by mail order from a company in California called Rancho Gordo, http://www.ranchogordo.com. I receive their newsletter which is very well written and full of ideas on how to prepare the beans they grow. On Friday I was reading the newsletter and the postscript touched my heart and has now made me a very loyal customer. I would like to share it with you.

​As I posted on Twitter recently, Rancho Gordo unequivocally supports sensible gun reforms. The right to carry any firearm you may fancy does not eclipse our children’s right to exist. We are at a point where companies need to be good corporate citizens and voice this out loud. This needs to be the norm, not news of another massacre.