Greek Pork and celery with egg lemon sauce, Hoirino me selino (Χοιρινό με σέλινο αυγολέμονο)

A traditional Greek recipe in which celery leaves and stalks are cooked along with pork and with the addition of a delicious avgolemono sauce (egg lemon sauce). The result is a luxurious stew from the Peloponnese region of Greece and which is a staple during the fall and winter months.

It’s not often that a two-bit character actor is cast in a leading role.  It’s rare for a back-up singer to move center stage, and win a Grammy.  It’s unusual for a second-string quarterback to somehow lead the league in touchdown passes.  And it’s surprising that a plain Jane vegetable, which is usually part of a basic trio (think: saute onion, garlic and celery…), becomes the focus of an entire, decadent meal.  But this is a celery Cinderella story, and I’m here to tell it.

I love this recipe

Celery.  Sure you can make a comforting cream of celery soup, or a crunchy celery based salad, but in this recipe, celery is treated to slow cooking care, elevating it to something grand.  Here, celery, pork, and avgolemono (an egg-lemon sauce, the same one used in avgolemono soup) combine to create a dish with strong flavours and delicate textures.

Growing up in a Greek home we had this meal often, especially when the celery growing in our parents’ garden was harvested. As children, my sister Helen loved this seasonal meal, which was often prepared in the late summer and early fall, a time when celery is at its peak.  I, on the other hand, hated it almost as much as I hated spanakorizo.  In fact, when planning this post with my parents, I vowed that I wouldn’t try it, not a single bite!  But, how could I write about something I couldn’t describe?  And so, I took a taste..and then another, and another.  Clearly, people change and tastes evolve.  The new verdict…even I agree, this meal is fantastic!

Key ingredients

Celery Fresh celery (or celery that you have blanched and frozen) is the star of this recipe. It is best to find celery stalks that still have the leaves attached. The leaves add a delicate flavour, and leafy texture that is really wonderful in this dish.

Pork My parents like to use pork tenderloin in this recipe, and so do I. It is lean, flavourful and cooks up really tender. You can substitute different cuts of meat, which would be more traditional. I explain other options, and how to make the switch, in the recipe itself and in the cooking tips below.

Egg I use large eggs to make my rich and frothy avgolemono sauce. I use both the egg whites and the egg yolk.

Lemon Fresh lemon juice always! It is so much better than anything you can find pre-squeezed and in a bottle.

Onion I use yellow onion in this recipe – it is easy to find, inexpensive and has a mild flavour.

Olive oil I saute my veggies in olive oil, and the olive oil remains in the final dish (that is, it does not get drained off). Of course, I only use real Greek olive oil.

Tomato sauce Typically I use my homemade tomato sauce, made with my parents every Labour Day weekend! You can make this sauce whenever ripe Roma tomatoes are available and you can learn how we do it here. Otherwise, you can use a good quality passata or strained tomato sauce.

Parsley Fresh flat leaf parsley adds flavour and more leafy goodness to this meal.

Mint I use fresh mint because it complements the lamb so well!

Vegetable oil I use vegetable oil to saute the pork tenderloin; this oil does not make its way directly into the pot of food, and I just find it a big cheaper to cook my tenderloin in vegetable oil.

Salt & pepper Basic seasonings that elevate any dish! Add to your taste.

How to make it

Step 1
Wash your celery well and separate the leaves from the stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the stringy parts that run along the length of the celery stalks. Chop the stalks into 1 inch long pieces.  Chop up the leaves, also in about 1 inch long pieces

Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  When the water is boiling, add the celery stalks and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Then, add the celery leaves to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Drain and cool under cold water.  Set aside to drain again.

Step 3
In another large pot add the 3/4 cup olive oil and chopped onion.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened.  Add the celery to the pot (do so carefully as any water which remains on the celery can cause the hot oil to spatter).  Mix well.

Step 4
To the pot add the 1 ¾ cup tomato sauce, the chopped parsley and mint, 6 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. There should be enough liquid to come right to the surface of the vegetables.  If there is not enough to get to this point, add more water.  Mix well.

Step 5
Cook the vegetables, over medium high heat, with the pot covered, for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally, and check to make sure there is still plenty of liquid in the pot

Step 6
Meanwhile, slice the pork tenderloin into 1 inch thick slices.  Sprinkle all sides with 1 teaspoon salt.

Step 7
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, adding just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Sear the pork tenderloin until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Avoid overcooking, as it will finish cooking for another 5 minutes in the saucepot. Since this is a lean cut, it only needs a short cooking time.

Step 8
Add the pork tenderloin pieces to the pot with the celery.  Add it to the top and press down on the meat a little bit so that it is submerged in the cooking liquid. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.  Check the pork for doneness by cutting into a piece.

Step 9
Remove from heat, and take about 1 cup of broth out of the pot and set it aside.

Step 10
Prepare the egg-lemon sauce.  Separate the 3 eggs, and using an electric hand held mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the egg whites until just frothy.  Add the yolks and continue to beat.  Slowly pour in the 1/2 cup lemon juice, while continuing to beat the eggs. Then, take the broth you set aside (it should still be warm, just not piping hot) and slowly pour it into the egg-lemon mixture, while continuing to beat it.  This slow incorporation of the hot liquid to the eggs, while they are being beaten, will prevent curdling.

Step 11
Pour the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the celery and pork.  Shake the pot so that the avgolemono gets evenly distributed throughout.

Recipe substitutions

My parents like to use pork tenderloin in this recipe. This is a delicious way to keep the meal on the leaner side. Otherwise, and more traditionally, pork shoulder or pork butt are used.  This will make the meal richer, and fattier.  All these variations are delicious, but I am happy to keep things lean whenever possible, especially when flavour is not sacrificed. If you are skeptical about using the tenderloin in this recipe, don’t be.  It’s really quite great.

If you prefer not to add the fresh herbs to this meal you can skip them, or one of them. I like the flavour that both the parsley and mint add however, and highly recommend it.

If you prefer to fry your pork tenderloin in olive oil, or another type of oil, go ahead.

If you do not have homemade tomato sauce, you can use a good quality jar of strained tomatoes or tomato passata.

Cooking tips

Alter cooking method if using another cut of pork

I like using pork tenderloin since it’s lean, but traditionally this dish is prepared with pork shoulder. If you prefer, you can substitute 2–3 pounds of pork shoulder, and alter the cooking method slightly. To prepare the pork, cut it into cubes, season with salt and pepper, and sear the pieces in a splash of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot until golden brown. Remove the pork, then continue with Recipe Steps 3 and 4 in the same pot. After that, return the pork to the pot and proceed with Step 5. The meat should be fork-tender when pierced; if it isn’t, let it simmer a bit longer. The rest of the recipe (steps 9, 10, and 11) remains unchanged.

Find celery with the leaves still attached

Although you can alter the cut of pork used, you cannot alter the vegetable. Celery is the star here, and cannot be replaced by anything else, and this recipe uses A LOT of celery!  The celery cooks for a very long time, transforming it from its raw crunchy self to something very different, both in flavour and texture.  My parents make this dish with celery from their garden, which means that they have both the stalk and the large, healthy leaves available. You can usually find celery with leaves still attached at a farmers market, but they tend to be quite seasonal.  In some places…that season is now, so hurry up before it’s too late!

Prep your celery properly

Wash your celery and the leaves really well. Also, remove the strings that run along the celery stalk using a vegetable peeler. Even fresh, tender celery stalks could benefit from having this stringy part removed. Trust me, it is worth the efforts (really, it is not that much effort!).

Freeze excess celery for future use

My parents grow quite a bit of celery, too much to use in one meal.  If you are faced with a lot of celery too, you can save it for the future by freezing it.  Simply prepare your celery as described in the recipe.  After it has blanched (been in the boiling water for a few minutes) you can drain it and freeze it.  Of course, this celery will not be very good served with dip and chicken wings, but it is perfect for meals where it is cooked, like this one.

Prevent the eggs from curdling

You will see that the directions below instruct you to remove some of the broth, set it aside to cool a little bit, and then add it slowly to the beaten eggs and lemon used in the avgolemono.  This is a critical step because if you add the beaten eggs directly into the very hot broth you risk having your eggs curdle.

Use fresh lemons

Also important for the avgolemono is to use beautiful, fresh lemons.  Try not to substitute bottled lemon juice; it may be more convenient, and at times, less expensive, but nothing beats the taste of pure, freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Storing and reheating

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, either place the food in a microwave, or preferably, add to a pot and heat over medium heat until warmed through.

How to serve

Prepared properly, this dish will resemble a stew; there will be plenty of amazing liquid in the pot.  You know what that means!  Serve this meal with a nice loaf of crusty bread, perfect for dunking and wiping your plate clean. A traditional Greek village bread would be perfect, as would many recipes you could find here in this collection of Best bread recipes.

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Pork and celery with egg lemon sauce

Pork and celery with an egg-lemon sauce is a luxurious traditional Greek recipe

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 1053kcal

Author: miakouppa

Equipment

• sauce pot

Ingredients

• 20 large stalks of celery, with leaves
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 ¾ cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint chopped
• 6 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 medium sized pork tenderloins See notes
• 1 tsp salt
• vegetable oil for frying
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Wash your celery well and separate the leaves from the stalks.  Use a vegetable peeler to remove any fibrous ribbing. Chop the stalks into 1 inch long pieces.  Chop up the leaves, also in about 1 inch long pieces
  20 large stalks of celery, with leaves
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  When the water is boiling, add the celery stalks and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Then, add the celery leaves to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Drain and cool under cold water.  Set aside to drain again.
• In another large pot add the 3/4 cup olive oil and chopped onion.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened.  Add the celery to the pot (do so carefully as any water which remains on the celery can cause the hot oil to spatter).  Mix well.
  3/4 cup olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion
• To the pot add the 1 ¾ cup tomato sauce, the chopped parsley and mint, 6 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. There should be enough liquid to come right to the surface of the vegetables.  If there is not enough to get to this point, add more water.  Mix well.
  1 ¾ cups tomato sauce, 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup fresh mint, 6 cups water, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
• Cook the vegetables, over medium high heat, with the pot covered, for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally, and check to make sure there is still plenty of liquid in the pot
• Meanwhile, slice the pork tenderloin into 1 inch thick slices.  Sprinkle all sides with 1 teaspoon salt.
  2 medium sized pork tenderloins, 1 tsp salt
• Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, adding just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Sear the pork tenderloin until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Avoid overcooking, as it will finish cooking for another 5 minutes in the saucepot. Since this is a lean cut, it only needs a short cooking time.
  vegetable oil for frying
• Add the pork tenderloin pieces to the pot with the celery.  Add it to the top and press down on the meat a little bit so that it is submerged in the cooking liquid. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.  Check the pork for doneness by cutting into a piece.
• Remove from heat, and take about 1 cup of broth out of the pot and set it aside.
• Prepare the egg-lemon sauce.  Separate the 3 eggs, and using an electric hand held mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the egg whites until just frothy.  Add the yolks and continue to beat.  Slowly pour in the 1/2 cup lemon juice, while continuing to beat the eggs. Then, take the broth you set aside (it should still be warm, just not piping hot) and slowly pour it into the egg-lemon mixture, while continuing to beat it.  This slow incorporation of the hot liquid to the eggs, while they are being beaten, will prevent curdling.
  3 large eggs, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pour the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the celery and pork.  Shake the pot so that the avgolemono gets evenly distributed throughout.
• Enjoy!

Video

Notes

We like using pork tenderloin since it’s lean, but traditionally this dish is prepared with pork shoulder. If you prefer, you can substitute 2–3 pounds of pork shoulder, though the method changes slightly. Steps 1 and 2 remain the same.  Cut the pork into cubes, season with salt and pepper, and sear the pieces in a splash of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot until golden brown. Remove the pork, then continue with Steps 3 and 4 in the same pot. After that, return the pork to the pot and proceed with Step 5. The meat should be fork-tender when pierced; if it isn’t, let it simmer a bit longer. Steps 9, 10, and 11 remain unchanged.

Nutrition

Calories: 1053kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 130g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 486mg | Sodium: 2363mg | Potassium: 3072mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1639IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 8mg