Greek Main Courses
Arni me Anginares Recipe (Greek Lamb with Artichokes in Avgolemono)
Αρνί με αγκινάρες ar-NEE meh an-gee-NAH-res · Arni me anginares
In short
Arni me anginares is lamb braised gently with artichoke hearts, dill and spring onion, finished with avgolemono, the Greek egg and lemon sauce. It is a spring dish, timed to when fresh artichokes are at their best and lamb still carries its Easter-season prominence.
Arni me anginares belongs to the same close family as the lamb and lettuce fricassee, sharing the braise-then-avgolemono structure but swapping lettuce for artichoke hearts, which bring a slightly nutty, faintly bitter edge that plays beautifully against the rich lamb and bright lemon sauce. It is genuinely a spring dish, timed to when fresh artichokes are in season and lamb still carries the seasonal prominence Easter gives it.
Preparing fresh artichokes is the one real technical hurdle here, since the tough outer leaves and choke need trimming away properly to leave just the tender heart, and they discolour fast once cut, needing an acidulated water bath to stay pale while you work through the rest.
Frozen or good quality jarred artichoke hearts are a completely reasonable substitute if fresh ones feel like too much preparation, and using them turns this into a considerably faster dish without losing much of its character.
Key preparation steps
- Trim fresh artichokes down to the tender heart, or use frozen hearts.
- Brown lamb and braise gently with spring onion and dill.
- Add the artichoke hearts and cook until tender.
- Finish with avgolemono off the heat.
Preparing fresh artichokes
Pull away the tough outer leaves until you reach the pale, tender inner leaves, trim the stem and the top of the remaining leaves, and scoop out the fuzzy choke with a spoon, leaving just the heart. Drop each trimmed heart immediately into water with lemon juice added, since cut artichoke discolours within minutes of exposure to air.
Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, are a genuinely good and much faster substitute, skipping this entire preparation stage while still giving a good result.
Braising the lamb
Brown lamb shoulder chunks hard, then simmer gently with sliced spring onion and chopped dill in stock or water for around an hour, until nearly tender, following the same base method as the lettuce fricassee.
Adding the artichokes and finishing
Add the artichoke hearts, whole or halved depending on size, and simmer for a further fifteen to twenty minutes, until they are tender but still holding their shape rather than falling apart.
Finish with avgolemono exactly as with any egg and lemon dish: take the pot fully off the heat, temper beaten egg and lemon with hot liquid, then stir back in gently. Never return the pot to direct heat once the egg has gone in.
Tips from my kitchen
Work fast with fresh artichokes
They discolour within minutes once cut. Have the acidulated water ready before you start trimming.
Frozen hearts are a genuine time-saver
They skip the fiddly trimming stage entirely and give a very good result in this braised, sauced dish.
Never reheat once the avgolemono is in
The sauce splits if returned to direct heat. Serve straight away.
Arni me Anginares Recipe (Greek Lamb with Artichokes in Avgolemono)
Αρνί με αγκινάρες · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 40m
- Cook
- 1h 30m
- Total
- 2h 10m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- If using fresh artichokes, trim down to the tender hearts, dropping each into a bowl of water with the lemon juice added as you work.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Season the lamb and brown hard in batches. Set aside.
- Add the spring onions to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Return the lamb, add half the dill and the hot water or stock. Season, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, until nearly tender.
- Drain the artichoke hearts and add to the pot, halving larger ones. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape.
- Take the pot completely off the heat. Beat the eggs well with the lemon juice, then temper with several ladlefuls of the hot liquid, whisking constantly.
- Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot, stirring gently. Do not return to the heat.
- Stir through the remaining dill and serve immediately.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 462
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Sat fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Arni me anginares
Can you use frozen or jarred artichoke hearts instead of fresh?
Yes, thawed frozen artichoke hearts work very well and save considerable preparation time, since trimming fresh artichokes down to just the heart is fiddly and time-consuming.
When is this dish traditionally eaten?
In spring, when fresh artichokes are in season, and it often appears around Easter alongside or as an alternative to whole roasted lamb.
Can you make this dish with chicken instead of lamb?
Yes, a chicken and artichoke version follows the same method, generally needing a shorter initial braising time than lamb.
