Aginares A La Polita - Greek Artichoke Stew

      Welcome to the October edition of Eat the World! This month we are spending the month enjoying the food of Greece. Greek food is always well received in our house, it tends to make wonderful use of good olive oil, fresh vegetables, and quite frequently lots of lemon juice. The lemon juice is one aspect we really enjoy, I love all things tart and vinegary, and lemon just makes it all that much brighter. To start with the iconic Greek Avgolemono is a wonderful example of bright lemon being the star of a dish. Two other delicious lemony Greek dishes are Lemon Potatoes and one of my favorites, Taverna Chicken.  Another Greek dish I adore is Tsigareli, it was one of two recipes I was considering when prepping for this event. In the end I made them both and knew I had to share. 

     I just have to say there is an easier way to make this, I just didn't plan far enough in advance. Most decent Mediterranean or Middle Eastern Markets carry cleaned, frozen, artichoke hearts. No precooking, no leaves to clean off, none of that. Just artichoke hearts, or bottoms as they are usually referred to, that can be tossed directly in the pot. However I am a few hours from the nearest market and so I used delicious whole, fresh, artichokes. This wasn't the worst thing in the end, I did get to eat my hearts content of the leaves and I had all the liquid from cooking them in. I used that liquid with some chicken bouillon to make the broth of my stew adding just a little but more of the artichoke flavor to the stew. 

     Are you a fan of Greek food too? Check out all the wonderful Greek dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

• Palatable Pastime: Spanakopita Bites 
• Magical Ingredients: Spanakorizo 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Greek Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Makaronia me Yiaourti
• Sneha’s Recipe: Greek Hot Dogs
  
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Skordalia
• Sugarlovespices: Greek Spinach and Feta Pie with filo pastry (Spanakopita)
• Kitchen Frau: Classic Moussaka

Artichoke Stew Recipe

1/4 c. Greek Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

6 green onions, sliced

1/2 tsp. garlic paste

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, chopped

6 large artichokes OR 3 cans artichoke hearts, drained

4 c. broth (or bouillon chicken or vegetable are both delicious)

1 large lemons

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Salt to taste

Fresh dill and lemon wedges

Heat a large pot of water and bring to a boil, do not add salt. Trim the stems and leaves and pull the leaves apart to separate so they cook better. Place the artichokes in the water and cover the pot. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the center is tender when pierces with a fork. remove from the heat and allow to cool enough to handle. 

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until starting to cook. Add the potatoes and carrots and continue cooking, while stirring so they don't stick, until the potatoes are starting to look transparent around the edges. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. 

Add the broth, lemon juice, green onions, and black pepper. Simmer over medium heat. 

Pull the leaves off the artichokes, I reserved to enjoy later. Trim the stem, leaves, and fuzz from the center of the artichoke. Add the cleaned hearts, or drained canned, artichoke hearts, to the stew and simmer gently until the potatoes and carrots are cooked. Continue simmering until the potatoes are broken down a bit and they thicken the sauce. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. 

Remove from the heat and serve with lemon wedges and fresh dill. 

Other Eat The World Contributions from Europe

• Luxembourg - Bouneschlupp Green Bean Soup
• Hungary - Rakott Krumpli
• Netherlands - Mosterdsoep
• Bulgaria - Sausage Stew
• Portugal - Tremocos Beans
• Ukraine - Pickled Tomatoes 
• Finland - Vispipuuro
• England - Lancashire Hotpot
• Poland - Zupa Orgorkowa
• France - Choucroute Garnie
• Sweden - Farskpotatis