Chef Dimitra
Anginares a la Polita, Constantinople Artichokes (Αγκινάρες αλά Πολίτα)
Constantinople's spring artichokes, pale and lemony, braised with potato, carrot, peas, dill, and enough olive oil to make the sauce shine.
Culinary Explorer
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Macedonian Arakas Latheros (Αρακάς Λαδερός)
Created by
Macedonian peas cooked the lathero way: potato, carrot, tomato, olive oil, and dill folded in at the end so the pot tastes green, sweet, and properly spring.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
Easter
20 min
Active Time
40 min cook•1 hr total
Yield4 main-course servings or 6 side servings
Macedonian arakas latheros is the spring pea pot of Thessaloniki kitchens: peas, potato, carrot, tomato, and a fistful of dill cooked in enough olive oil to make the sauce shine. It is nistisimo, suitable for the fasting table when olive oil is permitted, but it eats like a proper main dish, not a penance.
One method decides it: don't drown the peas. Add only enough hot water to come partway up the vegetables, then let the pot sit on a low bubble until the potatoes soften and the tomato and oil gather into a glossy sauce. Boil it hard and you get wet vegetables. Cook it patiently and you get lathero, oil-sauced, sweet, green, and ready for bread.
The dill goes in at the end. I keep this small stubbornness because boiled dill turns brown and loses its breath; folded through off the heat, it stays green and tells you this is spring. My mother Sofia made it on weekdays in Thessaloniki with frozen peas when the market ones were gone. No shame. A good frozen pea is better than an old fresh one.
Arakas latheros belongs to the ladera (λαδερά) family, oil-rich vegetable dishes that became main courses in Greek home cooking on ordinary weekdays and oil-permitted fasting days. In Macedonia and Thessaloniki kitchens, peas are commonly stewed with potato, carrot, tomato, spring onion, and dill; farther south the same pot may turn lemonier or lighter on tomato. The name comes from ladi (λάδι), oil, which is why the finished dish should be glossy and spoonable, not watery.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
extra virgin Greek olive oil, preferably Koroneiki
Quantity
90ml
divided
yellow onion
Quantity
180g
finely chopped
spring onions
Quantity
60g
thinly sliced
carrots
Quantity
180g
cut into 1cm rounds
waxy potatoes
Quantity
400g
peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
shelled fresh peas or frozen peas
Quantity
500g
tomato paste
Quantity
15g
ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
Quantity
300g fresh or 250g canned
fresh tomatoes grated
hot water
Quantity
240ml
plus up to 60ml if needed
fine sea salt
Quantity
7g
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 tsp
fresh dill
Quantity
30g
roughly chopped
lemon (optional)
Quantity
1
cut into wedges, for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| extra virgin Greek olive oil, preferably Koroneikidivided | 90ml |
| yellow onionfinely chopped | 180g |
| spring onionsthinly sliced | 60g |
| carrotscut into 1cm rounds | 180g |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cut into 3cm chunks | 400g |
| shelled fresh peas or frozen peas | 500g |
| tomato paste | 15g |
| ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoesfresh tomatoes grated | 300g fresh or 250g canned |
| hot waterplus up to 60ml if needed | 240ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 7g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
| fresh dillroughly chopped | 30g |
| lemon (optional)cut into wedges, for serving | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy pot or casserole, 28cm
- •box grater for fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the vegetables
Have the onion, spring onions, carrots, potatoes, peas, and dill ready before the pot starts. If you're using frozen peas, keep them frozen and rinse only to loosen clumps. They don't need thawing.
- 2
Start the oil
Warm 60ml of the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, spring onions, carrots, and a pinch of the measured salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns glossy and sweet but takes no color.
- 3
Cook the tomato
Stir in the tomato paste and let it darken for 30 seconds. Add the grated tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, until the tomato smells round and the oil shows orange at the edges.
- 4
Add the peas
Add the potatoes, peas, remaining salt, black pepper, and 240ml hot water. The liquid should sit just below the top layer of vegetables, not cover them like soup. Bring to a low bubble, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are nearly tender.
If the pot looks dry before the potatoes soften, add hot water 2 tablespoons at a time. Arakas latheros wants a sauce, not a flood. - 5
Reduce the sauce
Uncover the pot and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pot now and then instead of stirring hard. The potatoes should yield to a fork, the peas should be soft, and the tomato-oil sauce should look glossy enough to cling to a spoon.
- 6
Finish with dill
Take the pot off the heat. Fold in the dill and the remaining 30ml olive oil, then let the arakas rest for 10 minutes before serving. The dill goes in at the end because boiled dill turns dull and quiet; off the heat it stays green and keeps its scent. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges if you like.
Chef Tips
- •Fresh peas are lovely only when truly young and sweet. If the pods are starchy or tired, use frozen peas without apology; Greek home freezers have saved many weekday pots.
- •If the tomatoes are pale, use good canned crushed tomatoes. The right method on a sad tomato still gives you a sad pot.
- •Don't cut the olive oil too far. This is lathero, from ladi, oil. The oil is what carries the tomato, softens the vegetables, and gives you the sauce for bread.
- •On oil-permitted fasting days, serve it with bread and olives. Outside the fast, feta can sit beside the bowl, but don't crumble it into the pot and pretend it belongs there.
Advance Preparation
- •Shell fresh peas up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them covered. Frozen peas go straight from the freezer.
- •The stew can be cooked up to 1 day ahead, but hold back half the dill and stir it in after reheating.
- •Cut the potatoes just before cooking, or keep the chunks in cold water for up to 2 hours and drain well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 450g)
Calories
420 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
760 mg
Total Carbohydrates
49 g
Dietary Fiber
13 g
Sugars
15 g
Protein
11 g
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