Greek Artichoke Stew - Aginares A La Polita

Prepare The Veggies:

1. Clean and prepare the artichokes if using fresh. Dipping them in lemon water while you do so, so they won't darken in color. Check out this tutorial if you haven't done this before.
2. If using frozen artichokes, leave them in a strainer to unfreeze.
3. If using frozen peas place in a strainer also and rinse for 1 minute with cold water under the tap to remove most of the ice.
4. Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut both into bite-sized pieces.

Make The Stew:

1. Heat the 10 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide cooking pot over high heat. Add the red onion, spring onions, and spring garlic and saute until golden and caramelized.
2. Stir in the potatoes and carrots and cook for a minute. Add the peas and cook for a minute more. Then add the artichokes on top without stirring them. Pour enough water to almost cover all of the veggies. If you wish you can use vegetable stock instead. Add the celery stick in as well and the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Wait until it starts to boil and then reduce the heat to medium and put the lid on to partly cover the pot. Simmer for about 40 to 50 minutes. If you need to stir the stew while cooking, simply shake the pot or use two forks or spoons to gently flip the top vegetables if needed. Avoid stirring with a spoon so the artichokes won't get smashed or the peas become mushy.
4. Prick the harder vegetables (potatoes, carrots) with a knife to check if they're tender enough. Then turn the heat off. Gently turn the cooking pot towards one side and using a ladle remove the liquid collecting at the side of the pot. Place in a measuring cup or small bowl. You need 300 ml of it in order to make the egg-lemon sauce. If you have less, simply add some hot vegetable stock or hot water instead. Add the lemon juice to the measuring cup or bowl as well.
5. In a mixing bowl add the eggs and beat with a hand whisk. Then start to add the hot liquid and lemon juice mixture into the eggs while you whisk the eggs constantly. Begin incorporating small drops and then continue adding the liquid threadlike. The point here is to warm up the eggs and combine them with the hot liquid slowly, so they won't curdle.
6. Once you have incorporated all of the liquid into the eggs, stir in the dill and add this sauce back to the pot. Shake the pot for the sauce to spread all over. Then put the lid on and let the stew set inside the pot, on the hot stove with the heat turned off. This way the sauce will thicken even more.
7. Serve with plenty of freshly ground pepper on top.