Artichokes with peas is one of the most traditional recipes of my childhood and one of the most traditional in Greece. Really popular during summer as it is the time where the artichokes grow.

The dish is quite difficult to make if you do have to clean the artichokes so not the best to do if you don’t have time. Nevertheless, you can find them cleaned in many supermarket and still can be really healthy. The recipe is characterised as a “politiki” which essentially means comes from the city (πόλη) which in greece they refer to Konstantinoupoli, or Istanbul as it is called now.

Thats why its commonly called as Artichokes A-la-polita

Greeks leaving there and then moving to the newly Greek country after the war of independence with the Turks, brought this recipe and introduced it to all others. In its first years the recipe didn’t included any peas or potatoes but later on it was enhanced with more vegetables.

Artichokes Peas Carrots — You can do it without the Egg lemon sauce also, as my mother did in this instance. Still looks and tastes great

INGREDIENTS FOR ARTICHOKES WITH PEAS

Around 10 Artichokes cleaned, either the heart or the raw piece of the vegetable.
500gr of peas
3-4 potatoes chopped in medium sized pieces
2 large carrots thinly sliced
1 red onion sliced
1 bunch of fresh spring onions
Dill
Salt, Pepper
Olive Oil

So take a big pot and add a bit of olive oil in medium heat. When it becomes hot throw in the fresh spring onions as well as the red onions. We wait a bit and stir until they become golden

Then we throw the rest of our ingredients. We add the Carrots, artichokes and potatoes, salt and pepper as well as some water to -just- cover them. The point is to boil them but not make a soup. Bring them to a boil and let them for 45 minutes, making sure to add a bit water if is needed.

Afterwards, add the peas and the dill and continue boiling them for another 15 minutes. Pinch the potatoes with a fork to see if they are soft enough. Also check if the artichokes are soft to cut. If they are then its ready!

Serve it right away adding the egg-lemon sauce which you can see how you can prepare it over here.

This is a perfect dish for a Greek salad or Feta cheese.

Enjoy!