Anginares a la Polita (Constantinople Artichokes)

In short

Anginares a la polita, meaning artichokes in the style of Constantinople, are artichoke hearts braised gently with potato, carrot, spring onion and dill in a lemony broth, often finished with an egg and cornflour thickener rather than a full avgolemono. It is a spring vegan dish from the Greek cooking of Constantinople's community.

The phrase a la polita, in the style of Poli, the short form of Constantinople still used by Greeks with roots there, marks this dish out as another piece of the culinary inheritance that entered Greek cooking through that community, alongside politiki salata and peinirli. Artichoke hearts are braised gently with potato, carrot and a generous amount of dill and spring onion in a lemony broth, giving a pale, delicate, genuinely spring-tasting dish.

It differs from the lamb-and-artichoke fricassee in being entirely vegetable-based and vegan, and the finishing touch, a light egg and cornflour or plain flour thickener stirred with lemon, gives body to the broth without the richer, more assertive full avgolemono some other dishes use.

Preparing fresh artichokes down to just their hearts is the one real technical task here, exactly as with any dish built around them, and frozen artichoke hearts are a completely reasonable substitute if that preparation feels like too much for a weeknight.

Key preparation steps

Trim artichokes down to the tender hearts, or use frozen ones.
Simmer gently with potato, carrot, spring onion and dill.
Thicken the broth lightly with cornflour, egg and lemon.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Preparing the artichokes

Pull away the tough outer leaves, trim the stem and top, and scoop out the fuzzy choke, dropping each trimmed heart immediately into water with lemon juice added to stop it discolouring. Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, skip this stage entirely and are a genuinely good substitute.

The vegetable braise

Cook spring onion gently in olive oil, then add potato and carrot cut into similar-sized chunks, the artichoke hearts, and a generous amount of chopped dill, along with enough water or light stock to almost cover everything. Simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender, twenty-five to thirty minutes.

The light thickening

Whisk a little cornflour into cold water until smooth, then whisk this into the pot and simmer for a few minutes until it has thickened slightly. Off the heat, whisk an egg with lemon juice, temper with a little of the hot broth, and stir back into the pot, giving a light, silky finish rather than a heavy sauce.

As with any egg-thickened dish, do not return the pot to a hard boil once the egg has gone in, or it risks curdling rather than staying smooth.

Tips from my kitchen

Cut the vegetables to a similar size

This ensures the potato, carrot and artichoke all finish tender at roughly the same time.

Frozen artichoke hearts are a genuine time-saver

They skip the fiddly fresh preparation entirely while still giving a good result in this braised dish.

Do not let it boil hard after the egg goes in

This light thickener can curdle if the pot returns to a rolling boil.

Frequently asked questions about Anginares ala polita

What does a la polita mean?

In the style of Poli, the short form of Constantinople used by Greeks with roots there. It marks dishes, like this one and politiki salata, that trace to that community's specific cooking traditions.

Is anginares a la polita vegan?

The base dish of artichokes, potato, carrot, dill and olive oil is vegan. The traditional egg and lemon finish is not, though the dish can be left without it, using just the cornflour thickener, for a fully vegan version.

Can you use frozen or jarred artichoke hearts?

Yes, thawed frozen artichoke hearts work very well here and save significant preparation time compared with trimming fresh ones.

Anginares a la Polita Recipe (Constantinople-Style Braised Artichokes)