Made a new dish tonight in an attempt to recreate my favorite dish at Zaytinya in DC. It's primarily gigante beans (which I finally sourced locally!). I soaked and cooked the beans and found that many of the skins loosened and/or came off entirely. Should I be pulling them all off or leaving them alone?

healthierkitchen
  • 2531 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen October 4, 2010
Thanks all - will try not salting the water next time too! I didn't really notice the skins except on the beans on which they loosened. This dish is also basically a tapa - sort of a cross between Turkish and Greek. The beans themselves are delicious - almost meaty!
 
pierino
pierino October 4, 2010
I would recommend removing the skins as you would with chick peas or limas. I don't think the skins are especially appetizing although they're not inedible. One of my chef friends makes a wonderful tapa style appetizer using gigantes.
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin October 4, 2010
Not sure if this applies, but I've read (can't remember where) to add salt at the end because boiling beans in salted water will make the skins come off.
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen October 3, 2010
They were not overcooked in the sense that they went too long as they were just tender, but I did forget about them for a short time during which they came to a vigorous boil and probably stayed that way for a good few minutes before I got the heat back down. Could that do it?
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. October 3, 2010
You can keep them on (unless they're tough). Was the liquid at a boil when you cooked them? Or do you think there's a chance you overcooked them? I recently cooked beans and overcooked them and the skins came off.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52