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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Soufiko Ikarias (Σουφικό Ικαρίας)
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Ikaria's soufiko is a one-pot summer vegetable stew: eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, peppers, and tomato cooked down with olive oil, nothing fried first.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
One Pot
25 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Soufiko belongs to Ikaria, and the region is the dish's surname. It is the island's summer vegetable pot: eggplant, zucchini, potato, onion, pepper, tomato, and olive oil, cooked together until the vegetables soften into one another without losing their names.
What makes it itself is the refusal to fry first. Many Greek vegetable dishes begin with a pan of oil and a little browning, but soufiko is quieter. You layer the vegetables raw, salt them properly, give them good olive oil, and let the tomatoes release enough juice to carry the whole pot. Add water too early and you've made vegetable soup. Stir too much and you've made mash.
Use vegetables that taste of summer. This is where I become strict, because the right method on a sad tomato still gives you a sad dish. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones. The pot goes on early enough that it can rest before supper, because soufiko is better when the oil settles and the vegetables have time to drink their own sauce.
It is nistisimo, suitable for the fasting table, but it doesn't feel like a restriction. Ikaria's kitchen knows how to make a main dish from the garden and the oil jar. I don't invent it. I find it, I test it, I write it down, so the next cook can make the old pot come out right.
Soufiko is recorded as an Ikarian household dish, tied to the island's summer gardens and to the frugal cooking of the north Aegean. Its name is often linked in local telling to a crowded pot of vegetables, everything pushed in together, which matches the method better than any restaurant story. Unlike oven-baked briam, soufiko is made on the stovetop, and the difference matters: the vegetables stew in their own liquid and olive oil rather than roasting dry.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
500g
grated or finely chopped
eggplant
Quantity
350g
cut into 3cm chunks
zucchini
Quantity
350g
cut into 3cm chunks
potatoes
Quantity
300g
peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
onions
Quantity
250g
thinly sliced
green bell pepper
Quantity
180g
sliced
carrot
Quantity
120g
sliced into thin rounds
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
thinly sliced
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
120ml
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
plus more to taste
dried Greek oregano
Quantity
1 tsp
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 tsp
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
15g
chopped
fresh mint leaves (optional)
Quantity
10g
chopped
red wine vinegar (optional)
Quantity
1 tbsp
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ripe tomatoesgrated or finely chopped | 500g |
| eggplantcut into 3cm chunks | 350g |
| zucchinicut into 3cm chunks | 350g |
| potatoespeeled and cut into 2cm chunks | 300g |
| onionsthinly sliced | 250g |
| green bell peppersliced | 180g |
| carrotsliced into thin rounds | 120g |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 4 |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 120ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 12g |
| dried Greek oregano | 1 tsp |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 15g |
| fresh mint leaves (optional)chopped | 10g |
| red wine vinegar (optional) | 1 tbsp |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy pot or Dutch oven, 28cm
- •box grater for the tomatoes
Instructions
- 1
Salt the Eggplant
Put the eggplant chunks in a colander with 1 teaspoon of the measured salt and leave them for 15 minutes while you cut the rest of the vegetables. Rinse quickly and pat dry. This is not to punish the eggplant, only to tame any bitterness if the fruit is old or seedy.
- 2
Build the Pot
Choose a wide heavy pot. Spoon half the tomato into the bottom, then layer in the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. Add the remaining tomato, the rest of the salt, the oregano, pepper, parsley, mint if using, and the olive oil.
- 3
Start Gently
Set the pot over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the tomato begins to bubble at the edges. Do not add water unless the tomatoes are poor and dry. Soufiko is decided here: the vegetables must collapse slowly in their own juice and oil, not boil in a thin broth.
- 4
Simmer Without Stirring
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook for 35 minutes. Shake the pot by its handles every so often instead of stirring hard. The potatoes should soften, the eggplant should turn silky, and the zucchini should slump without becoming a purée.
If the bottom catches, add 2 tablespoons of water and lower the heat. If there is too much liquid, uncover for the last 10 minutes. - 5
Rest and Finish
When the vegetables are tender and glossy, pull the pot off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Taste for salt. Add the vinegar only if the tomatoes are flat. Serve warm or at room temperature, with bread for the oil-rich juices.
Chef Tips
- •Make this only when tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini are in season. If the tomatoes are pale and hard, cook chickpeas or lentils instead and wait for summer. Greek cooking already knows the calendar.
- •Cut the potatoes a little smaller than the eggplant and zucchini so everything finishes together. The pot should be generous, not crowded into paste.
- •Soufiko is excellent warm, but better after a short rest. Serve it with country bread, olives, and, outside the fast, a piece of feta. The oil in the bottom of the bowl is not waste. That's lunch.
Advance Preparation
- •Cut the vegetables up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator, but grate the tomatoes close to cooking.
- •Soufiko keeps well for 3 days in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature or warm it gently so the olive oil loosens again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 290g)
Calories
340 calories
Total Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
950 mg
Total Carbohydrates
30 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
12 g
Protein
5 g
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