Anginares or agginares à la polita is a dish originating from Constantinople, in Greek Constantinoupolis, also called “Polis” meaning the city of Constantine. Therefore this dish means “artichokes city-style”.

Asia Minor used to be Greek for millenia until the Turkish Empire captured those territories as well.  

The Greeks developed several styles of cooking such as Smyrneiki Kouzina or Politiki Kouzina, the former from Smyrna and the latter from “Polis” and  “Anginares  à la polita is one of the most known dish of “politiki kouzina”.

This is a delicious and healthy Lenten dish which can be served either as a side dish but we eat it as a main dish as the addition of potatoes makes it quite filling on its own.    

This wonderful, aromatic dish is a harbinger of spring and makes good use of artichokes, of one of the first spring vegetables in the market after a long winter.

You can use fresh or frozen artichokes to make this dish and apart of the fussy part of cleaning the artichokes, the rest is very easy.

In Greece we have some aromatic herbs called Kafkalithres and Myronia, which I love using in this recipe, when they are in season.

Sometimes, I also add some peas as well.

Artichoke fields

Have you ever seen fields of artichokes?  

On a recent trip to Nafplion we visited the villages of Drepano, Vivari, Candia and Iria.  

The two latter villages produce 90% of Greek production of artichokes.

We could only see acres after acres of artichokes fields in the region.

On our way back, we bought some artichokes, in order to make this delicious dish again!

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Other Artichoke Recipes

Here are a few more ideas how to cook artichokes.

Arnaki (Lamb) Fricassee with Artichokes

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Artichoke Lasagna - Pastitsio

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Koukia, Fava Beans, the Greek way

Koukia, Fava beans (Vicia faba), in Greek koukia (plural of word kouki), pr. kou-KHIA, is an easy, vegan Greek dish paired with lemon, dill, fennel and parsley, which adds lots of flavour to this healthy dish.

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Artichoke & Celeriac Soup

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Koukia, Fava Beans with lemon sauce, the Greek way

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Anginares à la Polita (Vegan Artichokes)

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How to clean / trim Artichokes

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Agginaropita Me Prassa (Artichoke & Leek Galette)

Agginaropita is a delicious Greek pie made with artichokes and leeks. It is is great for lunch with a salad and leftovers can be eaten for breakfast or brunch.

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Agginares à la Polita (Vegan Artichokes)

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Anginares à la polita is a dish originating from Constantinople, in Greek Constantinoupolis, also called "Polis" meaning the city of Constantine. Therefore this dish means "artichokes city-style".

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Ingredients

• 8 Artichokes
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, including green part, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 carrots cut into thin slices diagonally
• 2 large potatoes, cut into large pieces
• 1 cup peas (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 liter of water
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons corn flour (starch)
• ½ cup finely chopped dill
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup kafkalithres (Mediterranean hartwort) optional
• 1/2 cup myronia (chevril) optional

Instructions

1. Peel the artichokes and put them in a bowl with water and lemon juice. In a saucepan heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and the white part of spring onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green part and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until translucent.
2. Add the artichokes, potatoes and carrots and mix.
3. Add salt and pepper and add the bay leaf and water. Remove the bay leaf after 15 minutes.
4. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about an hour until the vegetables are cooked and remain with not too much fluid.
5. Dissolve the corn flour with the lemon juice. Add a little broth from the food, stir and pour over the food.
6. Add the parsley and dill and cook for 5 more minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 432 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 324mg Carbohydrates: 84g Fiber: 24g Sugar: 12g Protein: 15g

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,