Large Lima Beans in Garlic Sauce

Gigantes, which means “extremely large” in Greek, is what the Greeks call the very large lima beans used for this dish, a typical main course all over Greece during Lent and an appetizer year-round. These beans are usually baked in a spicy tomato sauce, but I prefer this simpler version, which is more common in northern Greece. The beans, scented with the garlic and dill, have a lovely sweet taste that they lose when tomatoes are added to the sauce.