Tomato-baked Heerboontjies

Known in Greece as gigandes plaki, this dish of beans baked in a tomato sauce rich in garlic and oregano makes use of the heritage heerbone cultivated on the banks of Verlorenvlei, near Redelinghuys. Use tinned butterbeans if heerbone aren’t available, adding the drained beans to the warm tomato sauce about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

250 g heerbone, soaked in water overnight 1 large onion, diced Olive oil, for frying 10 ml red wine vinegar 1 x 400 g tin whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice 15 ml tomato paste 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 fresh bay leaf Salt and pepper 4 sprigs fresh oregano 100 g feta

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Drain the heerbone and place in a large pot. Cover with water (don’t add any salt) and bring to the boil. Cook the beans for 15 minutes and then drain. They won’t be soft yet but will cook further in the tomato sauce.

In a large stovetop-to-oven casserole, fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Deglaze with the red wine vinegar and then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and garlic. Add the bay leaf and season the sauce, then carefully stir through the heerbone. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake the beans, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the oven, stir through the oregano leaves and scatter the feta over the top of the beans. The beans taste best when served warm instead of piping hot.