Artichokes are such tasty vegetables and there are so many ways you can cook them. Here the artichokes are combined with green peas and they simmer in fresh tomato sauce. An excellent dish to be enjoyed by vegetarians or anybody who wants to eat a meatless tasty dish.
Ingredients 6 artichokes (fresh or frozen) 700 gr. green peas (fresh or frozen) 6 green onions chopped 3 large tomatoes, grated (or a can of chopped tomatoes) 3 tablespoons fennel chopped finely (or dill) ½ cup olive oil Salt, pepper 2 lemons, if you use fresh artichokes
Instructions
You can use frozen artichokes, but I think that nothing can beat the taste of the fresh ones. It is a bit time consuming to clean them but believe me, they are worth the extra effort.
Start by removing the outer leaves of the artichokes by pulling one by one, until you reach the more tender inner leaves. Cut off the stem, at the base of the artichoke. Cut the artichoke in half and cut off the hard tips of the leaves of the artichokes, about 1-2 fingers, depending on their size, leaving the tender part. With the knife or a spoon remove the ‘hair’ or ‘choke’ that is found at the base of the heart of the artichoke. If the artichokes chokes are young, there will be hardly any hair. But if they are larger and more mature, the hair must be carefully removed, because it is hard and may stick in your throat (hence the name choke, I think.) After trimming each half, rub it with the one half of the lemon, to prevent the choke from turning blackish. Leave all the artichokes in the lemon water until you finish trimming all the vegetables. If you trim a lot of artichokes, you should wear gloves, because they will stain your fingers.
In a pot, add the olive oil and sauté the green onions until they are translucent. Drain the artichokes and add them to the onions. Sauté them for 2 – 3 minutes and add the peas, the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Check if they are done, inserting a knife in an artichoke. If it is soft, add the fennel or dill, simmer for 1 more minute and turn off the fire.
Serve with fresh crusty bread and feta cheese.