Araka (Pea Stew)


The other day my sisters and I were talking about our favorite dishes from childhood and Joanna listed araka as one of her favorites. Our mom used to make it for us all time, partly because she could make a big batch at once, and partly because it was good for us. But mostly because we all would eat it. We loved this dish as kids and really missed it when we realized we haven’t had araka in years so, of course, my sisters had to make it.

Even if it doesn’t bring back memories, we think you’ll really enjoy it. I did! Healthy and delicious!

Note: Our mom used to make this dish vegetarian so we kept it that way for our recipe (perfect for Lent) but you can add meat if you like. Just use beef stew meat. You can usually find it in the market, already cut up. If you can’t, use beef chuck or beef round, cut into 1/12 to 2 inch pieces. season with salt and pepper and adding it at the beginning, cooking in the olive oil until just brown on all sides. You may want to add a little more olive oil and a little more water as well.

 



A classic favorite from our childhood.

Serves: 4  |  Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 large chopped vidalia onion
  • 3 medium to large chopped potatoes
  • handful chopped dill
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 package frozen artichoke hearts 
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste 
  • ⅓ cup red wine 
  • 1 package sweet or baby peas 
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • feta, crumbled for topping

Steps:

  1. In a large, deep saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Add onions and potatoes and cook until onions are translucent.

  3. Add dill. Mix well and cook for a minute.

  4. Add water. There should be enough to just cover the potatoes.

  5. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

  6. Add artichokes, tomato paste, red wine, salt and pepper.

  7. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

  8. Add peas. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

  9. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until potatoes and just soft. Do not overcook.

  10. Remember this is stew so there should be quite a bit of sauce but not too much. If there is too much liquid, cook uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.

  11. Remove from heat. Serve warm with some crumbled feta on top.