Arakas Latheros
Αρακάς λαδερός·(ah-rah-KAS lah-the-ROS)
Lathera (The Weeknight Backbone)
In Greece, peas are never an afterthought. They are the star of the table, gently braised in a ridiculous amount of olive oil until they melt into something miraculous. This is lathera—the backbone of everyday Greek cooking. For first-generation kids, the smell of sweet peas, dill, and tomato bubbling on a weeknight is the undisputed scent of home. We're using frozen peas because they work flawlessly, but holding tight to the old-world secrets: a touch of flour to build a velvety sauce, finishing with raw olive oil to keep it vibrant, and simmering until the water vanishes, leaving the vegetables sizzling only in their oil.
Before you start
Have all your ingredients prepped before turning on the stove.
Once the onions soften, the flour and tomato paste stages move quickly, so you'll want the potatoes, carrots, and aromatics chopped and ready to go.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil1/2 cup
- yellow onion1 large
- scallions3 med
- clove garlic1 large
- all-purpose flour1 tbsp
- sugar1 tsp
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- frozen sweet peas1 lb
- Yukon Gold potatoes2 med
- carrots2 med
- canned crushed tomatoes1 cup
- hot water1 1/2 cup
- fresh dill1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- block Greek feta cheese1 large
- crusty bread1 med
Method
- 01
Heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion and scallions until translucent and sweet.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for thirty seconds until fragrant.
- 02
Sprinkle the flour and sugar over the softened onions to build the thickening roux.
Stir constantly for one minute, then add the tomato paste and fry it in the oil until it darkens and smells deeply toasted.
- 03
Add the frozen peas, potatoes, and carrots to the pot.
Toss everything gently for about two minutes so the vegetables are slicked in the seasoned, red oil.
- 04
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and just enough hot water to half-cover the vegetables.
Bring the pot to a simmer, cover with a lid, and drop the heat to medium-low to braise undisturbed for twenty minutes.
- 05
Remove the lid, pour in the remaining olive oil and fresh dill, and simmer uncovered for ten to fifteen minutes.
Do not stir with a spoon, or you will mash the soft potatoes. Instead, grab the pot by its handles and swirl it gently. Let it cook until the water completely evaporates and the vegetables are sizzling in the thick olive oil sauce—a state the Greeks call na meinei me to ladi tou.
- 06
Remove the pot from the heat and walk away.
Let it sit uncovered for at least twenty minutes. As it cools to a warm room temperature, the potato starches will lock the sauce into a perfect, velvety glaze. Serve with a hunk of feta and crusty bread to mop up the legendary oils.
Notes
Respect the final resting time.
Lathera are never meant to be consumed boiling hot. The magic happens during that twenty-minute rest when the flavors marry and the sauce tightens up.
Do not thaw the peas.
Frozen sweet peas are flash-frozen at their peak; cooking them straight from the freezer preserves their structural integrity and sweetness without turning them to mush.
From Cook Greek in America.