Artichokes are from the wonderful plant that is related to the gracious antique acanthus leaves that adorned Roman Corinthian capitals scattered all over Baalbeck and other Roman temples and ruins in Lebanon. From the thistle family, the artichoke hides its delicious, sweet “heart” behind hard leaves and thorns! So trimming and preparing it is a bit of a chore, but the rest of the preparation is very easy and fast.
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 18 pearl onions (or 1 large white onion)
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- 7 ounces (200 g) green peas
- 6 large artichoke, trimmed down to edible hearts
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Kamal Mouzawak
- kamal@soukeltayeb.com
-
Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onions. If using pearl onions, keep whole; if using 1 large onion, thinly slice it. Dice the potatoes and carrots into small cubes.
-
Cover the bottom of a pan with the olive oil. Add the onions, and cover with the carrots, potatoes, green peas, and end with the artichoke hearts on top. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, put it on to boil, and then lower the heat and let it cook for 40 minutes, or until the vegetables tender.
-
Season with the lemon juice and salt. Let it cook for 5 more minutes. If the sauce is too runny, mash some potato cubes and stir to thicken it.
-
Set up the artichoke hearts in a dish, fill them with the vegetables (or rather, mound the stuffing on top), and drizzle with the sauce. Serve at room temperature.
Yield 6 servings
