Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms (Zeytinyagli Enginar)

This veggie stuffed artichoke bottom recipe is one of the most delicious Turkish dishes and it is always served cold or at room temperature. It is known as one of the best spring dishes in Turkey.

What Is Zeytinyagli Enginar?

When transtlated word to word, zeytinyagli enginar means artichokes with olive oil. Zeytinyağ: Olive oil. Artichoke: Enginar. This special dish is made with only the bottoms of artichokes when they are in season. Artichoke bottoms are stuffed with partly cooked potatoes, peas and carrots. Then they are braised in olive oil and flavored with lemon juice and fresh dill.

The dishes that are cooked in this way (with olive oil) are called zeytinyağlı in Turkish cuisine. This word both refers to olive oil and means meatless. So if a dish is described as zeytinyagli, it doesn't contain any meat.

These dishes are served either cold or at room temperature with a generous amount of olive oil. And zeytinyagli enginar is one of those tasty meatless dishes.

Want more zeytinyagli recipes? Have a look at our celeriac with quince recipe, as well as easy sunchoke recipe. You can also try this delicious spring olive oil dish fresh fava beans with pod.

If you happen to visit a local open market in Turkey during spring, you see large stands loaded with fresh artichokes. And you will be amazed to see how the vendors clean the skin and thick leaves of artichokes to get artichoke bottoms super fast.

When you don't have to do the cleaning part yourself, making this Turkish enginar recipe is the easiest thing.

For today’s recipe, we will start by discussing artichoke bottoms. From what they are, how to carve them yourself, and how they can be bought. We will then explain exactly how to make this easy recipe, and also give you some handy tips!

What Are Artichoke Bottoms?

An artichoke bottom refers to the fleshy base section of the vegetable between the stem and the leaves. The bottoms have a unique shape that is carved from this base.

To prepare and shape artichoke bottoms are relatively easy and only require a knife and possibly a melon baller.

Remove all the outer green leaves until you are left with the yellow cone on the inside. Using a sharp knife, cut away the core and stem of the artichoke– now you are left with the bottom.

To clean it up, simply carve away any dark green parts and remove the core using a melon baller or small teaspoon.

For a more in-depth explanation with pictures on how to prepare artichoke bottoms, you can have a look at this article.

About The Ingredients

This stuffed artichoke bottom recipe only requires a few simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your home.

As this recipe is a classic Turkish olive oil dish, the most important ingredient is olive oil. We prefer using only the best and purest forms that aren’t refined or processed.

Artichoke bottoms are the other hero ingredient in this dish that adds a very nutty, slightly sweet flavor profile. Once cooked, these flavors become less prominent and blend in well with the others.

For the stuffing, we chose to use simple yet flavorful ingredients like onions, peas, dill, and lemon juice. The potatoes and peas help add even more flavor, texture, and of course a bit of color. You can use shelled fresh fava beans too.

Instructions

These mouth-watering vegan stuffed artichoke bottoms are easy to make and takes less than an hour – especially if you’re using canned or frozen bottoms. The flavors merge together seamlessly and it is truly a healthy recipe the whole family will love!

First, prepare the artichokes. If you are using canned artichokes you can skip this step, otherwise, cut your artichoke bottoms and place them in lemon water.

Second, prepare the stuffing. Heat the olive oil and sweat the onions until they’re translucent. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add your peas and salt and allow them to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Lastly, stir through the fresh dill and lemon juice.

Third, assemble and bake the artichoke bottoms. Place the bottoms into a pan and stuff them with the cooked vegetables. Pour hot water into the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook the artichokes until they become tender about 20 minutes.

Fourth, plate and serve. After the artichokes have cooked, transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool down completely. Drizzle the artichokes with some olive oil and garnish them with fresh dill.

Tips

• An easy way to keep your frozen or fresh artichokes from turning brown is to place them in water with a few lemon slices. The acidity of lemons will help prevent them from discoloring, so you can also use limes or lemon juice.
• When choosing a pan to cook the artichokes in, the best ones are sauté pans that have high sides. These can hold the water without it boiling over. Alternatively, you can use a pot that is large enough to hold all of the stuffed artichoke bottoms.

Frequently Asked Questions