Nicholaos’ Greek Artichokes with Broad Beans Recipe

Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Greek, Mediterranean
Nicholaos’ Greek Artichokes with Broad Beans Recipe

A delicious, Greek, spring dish of artichokes and broad beans that you can serve with feta cheese or a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Nicholaos Kondelos ‘ love of cooking was inspired by his mother. As a young boy he watched her closely as she prepared the family meals and her recipes have remained with him since. Now it’s your turn to watch Nicholaos prepare one of his favourite spring dishes – Artichokes with Broad Beans – and learn about his migration story along the way too.

This video is Kali Orexi’s first ‘Raw and Reel’ recipe. The footage was captured with a smart phone camera and edited by me. The video is not as refined as our other videos. But what it lacks in technical precision, it makes up in soul. And the absolute highlight is Nicholaos’ storytelling!

Ingredients

  • 6 artichokes
  • 5 lemons
  • 2 flat white onions
  • 1 bunch spring onions
  • 1 kg broad beans
  • 10-12 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
  • 500 g shelled peas
  • 1 small bunch dill coarsely cut
  • 1 small bunch parsley coarsely cut
  • All the above ingredients should be washed thoroughly
  • 1 cup water
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil EVOO
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Preparing the main ingredients
  2. Artichokes
  3. Fill a bowl (large enough to fit the artichoke bulbs and stalks) 2/3 full with cold water and add 2 halves of one lemon
  4. Trim the base of the artichoke stalk; cut the stalk from the artichoke bulb; peel the stalk; cut it in half widthwise and place it in the bowl of water
  5. Remove the outer leaves of the artichoke bulb, until you reach the leaves that have a yellow hue at their base
  6. Cut the artichoke bulb 1/3 down from top
  7. If the inner leaves of the upper portion look tough, then discard this section. If the inner leaves look tender, then remove and discard the outer leaves and place the upper portion in the bowl too
  8. Repeat for the remaining artichokes
  9. Trim the base of the larger artichoke bulb and cut it in half or in quarters (depending on its size), either from the base or the top, but not all the way through; rub it with some lemon and place it in the bowl
  10. Flat white onions
  11. Trim the top of the stalk and the base of the onion bulb
  12. Cut the stalk from the onion bulb; remove the outer layer of the stalk; cut the stalk lengthwise and cut each half into 2cm lengths
  13. Cut the onion bulb in half and cut each half into wedges
  14. Repeat for the other onion
  15. Spring onions
  16. Top and tail the spring onions and cut into 3-4cm lengths
  17. Broad beans
  18. Top, tail and trim the sides of the bean pods
  19. If the pods are soft and tender to the touch, keep them whole; if the pods are firm and hard to the touch, remove the beans and discard the pods
  20. Lemons
  21. Top and tail the lemons and cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size
  22. Preparing the Artichokes with Broad Beans
  23. Add ½ cup EVOO to a deep pot and heat it on high
  24. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, onion stalks, spring onions and garlic; cook till the onions brown a little and soften
  25. Add the artichokes, broad beans, peas, lemons and water; cook on high till you hear the pot ‘crying’; then reduce heat to medium-high
  26. Check and stir the ingredients every 10 minutes for about 45 minutes to an hour; add an additional ¼ cup of EVOO half way through the cooking process
  27. Add the dill, parsley, salt and pepper; but do not mix them through
  28. Cook for a further 15 minutes before stirring through the herbs and seasoning
  29. Continue to cook the dish until the artichoke stalks are soft
  30. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving
  31. Serving the Artichokes with Broad Beans
  32. Serve with a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt or feta
  33. Enjoy!

Watch the video

Key Points

"> Key Points You can use brown onions, if flat white onions are not available If the artichoke stalks appear very tough and fibrous you can either discard them or cut them in half lengthwise, so they cook more easily Depending on the artichoke type, the leaves of the artichoke can be thorny. Cutting and discarding the upper third of the artichoke bulb will remove many of the thorns. Check inside the remaining bulb for thorns and trim these too before cooking

Download the recipe (PDF)