This dish with beef or lamb is a Turkish recipe, although there is also a similar Greek variant, usually accompanied by an avgolemono (literally “lemon and egg”) sauce. For many it can be an unexpected combination, but the pairing of meat and artichokes is a delight that is worth trying.
Ingredients for 2-3 people:
400 gr. of beef or lamb for stew
400 gr. artichoke hearts
200 gr. shallots or onions
Lemon juice, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Peel the shallots. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a pot without letting it smoke and fry them whole together with the meat, cut into not very small bites. When the meat has been sealed, add a little broth (or water) until it barely covers the ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove the foam that appears on the surface, add salt, cover and cook over low heat for about an hour and a half. After that period, add the artichokes, which we will have previously prepared as follows:
If we use fresh artichokes, remove the hard outer leaves, cut the upper part horizontally and remove the hairs that cover the heart with a spoon. Immediately rub them with lemon juice or soak them in lemon water to prevent them from browning.
If using frozen artichoke hearts, add them directly to the stew without any prior preparation.
Continue cooking until the artichokes are tender, which can take up to half an hour, depending on their size, if they were frozen, etc.
When serving, correct for salt and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Tips ans tricks:
1. Cut the onions or shallots in halves or quarters depending on their size. I like to choose the smallest ones to use whole. This gives a very nice visual touch to the final result.
2. This is a very simple recipe that is based on the combination of meat and artichokes, as well as the good quality of its ingredients. Therefore, it does not require many spices or various aggregates. However, it is possible to add a clove of garlic, bay leaf or other herbs to the meat. You can also use a little fresh dill or extra virgin olive oil when serving.
3. If you prepare this traditional Turkish-style artichoke recipe, then you can keep the resulting broth (even freeze it) to use in cooking this stew.
4. As mentioned above, this dish can be served with a lemon and egg sauce called “avgolemono”. This traditional Greek sauce is prepared by beating eggs with lemon juice (both at room temperature), adding part of the cooking broth very little by little. In order not to fail in the preparation of this sauce, it is necessary to respect the indicated temperature and add the hot but not boiling broth very little by little, while beating vigorously. With these precautions, the sauce will bind without the egg curdling (otherwise we would simply get scrambled eggs with lemon). Once the sauce is obtained, pour it into the stew and heat for a few minutes without letting it boil.