There isn’t a cuisine we’ve encountered that we haven’t liked but we do have our favourites. The food of mediterranean countries would be one of them – bold flavours, fresh vegetables and delicious tastes. Another bonus is that such cuisine can often be made using cupboard staples.

On Sunday, we ate lunch at a local Greek Cypriot restaurant. And it was perfect. Oodles of garlic and totally yum. The Teen couldn’t finish hers so took the leftovers in a Doggy Bag.

I wanted to make something tasty for the Apres Teen to go with the leftovers. Something tasty, hearty and vegan. Based on what I had in the cupboard, I opted for Gigantes. These I served to her with slices of toasted sour dough bread drizzled with olive oil. Basically, a posh version of beans on toast!

Ingredients
½ lb, dry butter beans (soaked overnight)*
Olive oil
Vegetable stock cube
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
½-¾ tsp, sweet paprika**
½-¾ tsp, ground cinnamon**
2 tbsp, tomato puree
1 tbsp, dried parsley
1/2 tsp, dried oregano (optional)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
Sea salt and black pepper

Method
1. Cover the pre-soaked butter beans with water, crumble in the stock cube and boil gently for 50 minutes
2. While the beans are boiling, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan
3. Add the chopped onions, cover so they soften rather than brown and cook for 6-8 minutes
4. Add chopped garlic and cook for a further two minutes
5. Add the paprika, cinnamon, tomato puree, dried parsley, oregano (optional) and tinned tomatoes
6. Season with salt and a good grind of black pepper
7. Drain the beans and add the sauce
8. Simmer for 40-50 minutes until the tomato sauce is semi absorbed***
9. To serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the top

*Can use two tins of butter beans instead of the dry variety
**We like more rather than less spice. You may, however, like to start at 1/2 teaspoon of each. This can be increased once the sauce is made and tasted.
***Reduce cooking time if using canned beans (30 minutes)