Artichoke stew (Anginares ala polita)

A perfect dish for Holy Week when many people fast: this dish symbolizes Spring to me.
Preparing artichokes is not an easy task. I am always pleased when Yannis does this, as he does it better and more quickly than I!

10 artichoke hearts (If artichokes are not yet available, you can use frozen or canned artichoke hearts)

salt & pepper

juice of 2 lemons

2 T flour

100 ml olive oil

10 spring onions, chopped

3 carrots, scraped and chopped

3 small zucchini, chopped

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 bunch dill, chopped fine

2 eggs, separated

 

Remove all outer leaves of the artichokes until you reach the softer leaves. Cut off about 2 cm at the top and scrape out the fuzzy choke. Place the cleaned artichoke hearts in salted water to cover, and add juice of 1 lemon and stir in the flour.

(If using frozen artichokes, do not defrost them before using)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the spring onions for a few minutes. Remove the artichoke hearts from the water and add them to the pan (if using frozen or canned ones, add them now). Add carrots, zucchini and potatoes to the pan and keep frying. Pour in the lemon-flour water, add pepper and dill and cook, covered, for about 1 hour. Remove 250 ml of the liquid from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Beat egg whites with a dash of salt until stiff, beat in the egg yolks and the remaining lemon juice. Stir the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture a spoonful at a time, then pour this sauce back into the stew. Serve at once.