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 Prasoselino (Πρασοσέλινο)
Created by
Macedonian prasoselino is leeks and celery cooked low in olive oil until sweet, soft, and lemon-bright, a winter fasting dish that needs patience more than expense.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
One Pot
20 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 servings
Prasoselino belongs to Macedonia's winter table: leeks, celery, olive oil, and lemon, cooked down into a soft green-gold stew. It is nistisimo, suitable for fasting days, but it doesn't eat like a compromise. The leeks turn sweet, the celery keeps its clean bitterness, and the potato gives the pot a little body without making it heavy.
The one rule is simple. Sweat the leeks gently and don't let them brown. Browning pulls them toward sweetness in the wrong direction, deeper and heavier, while this dish wants the pale sweetness of winter vegetables softened in oil. Good olive oil, and patience.
I finish it with lemon off the heat, so the flavor stays clear. Some northern kitchens make the richer pork-and-avgolemono cousin for feast days, but this is the plain fasting pot, the one that proves how much Greek cooking can do with a few good things.
Prasoselino is part of the northern Greek winter family of leek and celery dishes, especially in Macedonia and Thrace, where leeks are treated as a main vegetable rather than an aromatic. The same pairing also appears with pork and egg-lemon sauce for cold-weather feast meals, while the olive-oil-and-lemon version belongs to the nistisima repertoire of Orthodox fasting days.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
leeks (prasa)
Quantity
1kg
trimmed, washed well, cut into 4cm pieces
celery stalks with leaves (selino)
Quantity
350g
cut into 4cm pieces
waxy potatoes
Quantity
350g
peeled and cut into large chunks
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
thinly sliced
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
90ml
hot water or light vegetable stock
Quantity
240ml
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
bay leaf
Quantity
1 small
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
45ml
dill
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| leeks (prasa)trimmed, washed well, cut into 4cm pieces | 1kg |
| celery stalks with leaves (selino)cut into 4cm pieces | 350g |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cut into large chunks | 350g |
| yellow onionthinly sliced | 1 medium |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 90ml |
| hot water or light vegetable stock | 240ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 1 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| bay leaf | 1 small |
| fresh lemon juice | 45ml |
| dillchopped | 1 tablespoon |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy pot with lid, 28cm
- •citrus juicer
Instructions
- 1
Wash the leeks
Split the leeks lengthwise where grit hides, rinse under cold running water, then cut them into 4cm pieces. Keep the pale green parts if they're tender. The dark tough tops go to stock, not into this pot.
- 2
Soften gently
Warm the olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, leeks, celery, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, then turn everything through the oil. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables relax and shine but take no color.
If you hear hard sizzling, lower the heat. Prasoselino is softened, not fried. - 3
Add potatoes
Tuck the potatoes among the leeks and celery. Pour in the hot water or stock, just enough to come partway up the vegetables. Cover the pot and bring it to a quiet simmer.
- 4
Stew until soft
Cook covered over low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pot now and then instead of stirring hard. The leeks should be silky, the celery tender, and the potatoes soft enough to take the edge of a spoon.
- 5
Finish with lemon
Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes if the liquid is thin. Remove the bay leaf, pull the pot off the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, dill, and parsley. Taste for salt. Let the prasoselino stand 10 minutes before serving, so the oil and lemon settle into the vegetables.
Chef Tips
- •Choose thick winter leeks that feel heavy and firm, with white and pale green shafts. If the outer layers are dry, peel them away without apology. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
- •Use celery with leaves if you can. Greek selino is often leafier and more aromatic than the trimmed supermarket stalks, so the leaves matter here.
- •Serve prasoselino warm or at room temperature with country bread and olives. Feta is good beside it on a non-fasting table, but the dish itself doesn't need dairy.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash and cut the leeks up to 1 day ahead; keep them chilled in a covered container.
- •The finished stew keeps 3 days in the refrigerator and tastes good at room temperature. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon after reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 465g)
Calories
430 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
720 mg
Total Carbohydrates
57 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
13 g
Protein
7 g
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