Bezelyeli Enginar (Turkish Artichokes and Peas in Olive Oil)

• 5–6 globe artichokes, trimmed to the hearts (kept in lemon water)
• olive oil, 4–5 tbsp plus 3–4 tbsp (a little over ½ cup in all)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• frozen peas, 1 su bardağı (200 ml)
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• Lemon zest: grated zest of 1 lemon
• about 200 ml (1 su bardağı) water
• a pinch of sugar
• 5–6 spring onions, white parts finely sliced
• ½ bunch dill, chopped

Method

The cook speaks Turkish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Peel the artichokes down to their hearts and keep them in water with a squeeze of lemon (and a pinch of flour, so they cook up pale) until needed. 0:13
2. Warm 4–5 tbsp olive oil in a wide shallow pan and sweat the chopped onion gently until soft, without letting it colour. 1:55
3. Lift the artichokes out of the water, drain and cut each into quarters (sixths if very large). 2:27
4. Add the artichokes to the onion, then the frozen peas, salt, white pepper and grated lemon zest, and stir to coat. 3:25
5. Pour in about 200 ml water so the vegetables are barely covered, sprinkle over a pinch of sugar and drizzle with 3–4 tbsp more olive oil. 4:20
6. Cover with a circle of baking paper with a small hole in the centre, put the lid on and cook over low heat for 35–40 minutes. 5:11
7. Stir in the sliced spring onion and cook 5 minutes more, then add the chopped dill and let it rest. Serve warm or at room temperature. 6:35

Tip. Serves 5 is our estimate (about one artichoke each). Frozen artichoke hearts work out of season. Like all zeytinyağlı dishes it is best at room temperature and keeps 3 days in the fridge.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.