Cypriot · Authentic-ish Cypriot
Anginares me Koukia
215 kcal a serving, against 335 for the traditional version. That is 120 kcal off, or 36%, with 9.1g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour.
What the traditional version is
Whole artichokes trimmed down to their hearts and quartered, broad beans shucked from their pods, all cooked gently with onions in a very healthy pour of olive oil. There's garlic, fresh dill, lemon juice and parsley to finish, and bread close by to mop up every last bit of oil and juice.
What changed, and what each change costs
Olive oil down from 80g to 25g
It's the first thing you'll spot, and the only way to make space for more protein in a dish that's basically spring veg and oil. Use a lid so the beans and artichokes stew in their own juices.
What it costs you. You lose that velvety richness in the sauce. The oil doesn't sit on top begging for bread any more, but it stops the dish being a salad, and you still get the perfume of fresh olive oil. No one's swooning at how light it is, but you can have pudding with less guilt.
Broad beans swapped for equal weight tinned cannellini beans
Not the most traditional move, but cannellini have twice the protein for the same weight, and are easy to find all year. You're missing the green pop, but you get a dish that'll actually fill you up.
What it costs you. It isn't broad beans, it's cannellini. Nobody's going to confuse them, but the dish still eats fresh, thanks to dill, lemon and plenty of parsley.
Dill and parsley up from 10g to 18g each
With less oil to drape everything, you need more fragrant green stuff to make up the difference. More herbs, more spring in each spoonful.
What it costs you. You can't exactly overdo the herbs here. At worst, it starts to taste like dinner round at a Greek nutritionist's house, but that's better than bland.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 335 | 215 |
| Protein | 9g | 9.1g |
| Fat | 22.2g | 8.5g |
| Saturated fat | 3g | 1.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.5g | 29.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.7g | 4.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Cypriot prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
The method is in the book
When you cut the oil, you make space for more beans, and that means you stay full past the first glass of wine. Yes, if you're a traditionalist, you'll mourn the missing green broad beans and the proper oil lacquer. But you get a dish that's still bright, herby and satisfying. The main thing is you actually get a main out of it, not just a start to a longer meal. If you want the full spring feast, don't skip the dill and parsley - or go wild and shovel in more than I did.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Cypriot, along with 47 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.