022Artichokes a la polita

Method

Constantinopolitan spring home style. Splendid served warm or cold at room temperature as a main course or meze.

You will need

• paring knife
• melon baller or teaspoon
• large mixing bowl
• wide heavy shallow pot with lid

1. Trim the tough outer leaves of the artichokes down to the pale hearts, scoop out the inner choke with a spoon, rub all over with a cut lemon half, and submerge in a bowl of cold water with squeezed lemon juice. 15 min Ready when: artichoke hearts clean and free of grey discoloration
2. Warm 80 ml of the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over medium heat and gently sweat the chopped onion and spring onions for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. 5 min Ready when: onions limp and fragrant without browning
3. Add the sliced carrots and potatoes to the pot, stirring well to coat them in the olive oil for 3 minutes. 3 min Ready when: vegetables glistening
4. Drain the artichoke bottoms and nestle them hollow side up among the potatoes and carrots in the pan. 2 min Ready when: artichokes arranged comfortably in one layer
5. Whisk the flour (if using) into the remaining lemon juice and warm water until smooth, then pour into the pan along with the salt and pepper. 2 min Ready when: liquid reaches halfway up the vegetables
6. Bring to a gentle boil, lower heat to minimum, cover tightly, and simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender. 25 min Ready when: artichokes and potatoes yield easily to a tip of a knife
7. Uncover, scatter the peas (if using) and chopped dill across the top, drizzle with the remaining 40 ml olive oil, and simmer gently uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce reduces and emulsifies. 7 min Ready when: silky, glossy lemon-oil emulsion coating the back of a spoon
8. Remove from heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. 20 min Ready when: dish rested and flavours integrated

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Make ahead and storing

Improves substantially if made half a day ahead, allowing the lemon and dill to permeate the vegetables.

Store chilled in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Substitutions

• frozen whole artichoke bottoms for fresh globe artichoke bottoms. A very common Greek home cook shortcut; add directly into the pot without thawing.
• shallots or pearl onions for spring onions. Provides a similarly sweet, mild onion profile.

Common mistakes

• Neglecting to rub freshly cut artichokes with lemon. Enzymatic browning causes artichoke flesh to turn black and bitter within minutes of exposure to air.
• Boiling rapidly instead of gentle simmering. Vigorous bubbling breaks down the delicate potato edges and turns the clear, glossy sauce cloudy and mushy.

Regional variants

• With avgolemono: beaten egg-lemon liaison stirred in at the end in some Athenian homes.
• Peloponnese style: stewed with fresh broad beans alongside or in place of peas.

About the dish

Anginares a la polita is an enduring gift from the Greek culinary heritage of Constantinople (I Poli). Brought to mainland Greece by Constantinopolitan refugees, it represents the refined urban tradition of olive-oil cooking (lathera). Fresh springtime artichoke bottoms are gently stewed with sweet spring onions, tender carrots, baby potatoes, and sometimes peas, then bound together with generous amounts of lemon juice, fragrant dill, and olive oil. It is celebrated as both a premier Lenten feast and a hallmark of spring home cooking.

Found in Attica, North Aegean. Cooked for everyday, spring, lent.

Cousins elsewhere

• Zeytinyağlı enginar (Turkish). A signature Istanbul meze of fresh artichoke bottoms braised with diced carrots, peas, and potatoes in lemon and olive oil.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

440 kcal · protein 7.3 g · fat 28.2 g (saturated 3.8 g) · carbohydrate 45.9 g (sugars 7.4 g) · fibre 11.6 g · sodium 716 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Constantinopolitan bourgeois tradition of lathera with sweet root vegetables and plenty of fresh dill, popularised throughout Greece after 1922..