Baked giant beans with Florina red peppers

The classic baked giant beans with the addition of the popular Florina red peppers which give an extra taste and fragrance to the dish. A nice and nutricious recipe which is suitable in every season and a good idea after all this Easter meat-eating orgy

Adapted from the Greek cooking magazine "Umami"

Ingredients (for 4 people):
450gr. giant beans
5 Florina red peppers (or bell peppers), cleaned of the seeds and cut in thin strips
3 large yellow onions, cut in thin slices
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in thick slices
4 ripe tomatoes, grated (or 3/4 of a tin finely chopped)
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup (optional -my addition)
1/2 tbsp of hot mustard (optional -my addition)
1 small glass of white dry wine (optional -my addition)
5-6 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf
5-6 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tea-cup of olive oil
salt
pepper

Method:
Soak the beans in a large bowl full of water for at least 8 hours prior to cooking or all night.

Next day drain in a colander and boil in medium heat in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them for about 1 hour or until they are semi tender. Season with salt just 10 minutes before taking the pot off the heat. Drain in a colander and save 1 tea-cup of the water they boiled in.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

In a large frying pan warm 5 tbsp of the oil in medium-low heat and sauté the onions, stirring with a wooden spoon until they start getting soft and translucent. While stirring, add the peppers and the garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue for 1-2 more minutes. Take off the heat and leave aside.

Transfer the beans into an oven pan (or pyrex dish) along with their broth which you kept aside. Add the tomatoes, the ketchup (if used), the bay leaf, the allspice berries, the parsley, the mustard (if used) and gently stir. Scatter on top the onion/peppers mixture with their sauce from the pan and season with salt and pepper.

Pour over with the rest of the oil and the wine (if used) and cover the pan with a piece of foil. Initially bake at the 160°C for 40-45 minutes.

Turn the temperature up to 180°C, take the pan out of the oven, discard the foil and gently stir the food. Put back in the oven and continue cooking - without any more stirring - until the beans are completely tender (not mushy though) and left with their oily sauce.