Pork with Celery and Avgolemono sauce – The Greek Pork Fricassee

This Pork with celery and Avgolemono sauce is also known as Pork Fricassee in Greece and it is made with celeriac leaves and a lemony sauce. If you like pork, lemons, and celery then make sure you give this one a try because it is really delicious!

How to choose the perfect Celery for this dish

The perfect celery to complement this dish is the springs from a celery root also known as “Celeriac leaves”. They have the perfect thickness that is needed so that the shoots and the leaves can cook together.

This is a very important step for this recipe. If you can’t find celeriac leaves in your country then you can use only celery leaves to cook this dish and keep the celery stalks for another soup or stew.

The Greek variety of celery which is called “Selino” resembles parsley a lot and it is very potent. A little amount goes a long way when you use it in soups or stews.

Marinating the pork

Marinating the pork with salt is optional but if you have time to do it helps tenderize the pork so that it melts in your mouth with every bite.

Line the meat in a tray or a plate, pat it dry with kitchen paper, and spread a thin layer of salt on top of it. Then flip it and add salt on the other side too. Let it marinate for 1 hour in room temperature. After an hour, pat it dry again and then it’s ready for cooking.

If you use this method of marinating the meat then you should not add any other salt in your food. The meat has absorbed all the salt that is needed and it will naturally salt the rest of the ingredients and the whole stew.

What is the Greek Avgolemono and how to make it?

Avgolemono sauce is a very old Greek recipe that consists mainly of lemon and eggs lightly whisked together. Sometimes cornstarch or flour and butter is used to make it more creamy and thicken the sauce.

Although with minor changes from one recipe to another, like the addition of butter, for example, the base of Avgolemono is the same and once you learn how to cook it you can use the same method of making Avgolemono in a lot of Greek recipes that call for it.

How to make the Greek Avgolemono is easy. Just whisk two eggs in a bowl and add the juice of two lemons. Slowly incorporate 2 big soup spoons of the hot juice of your soup or stew into the egg mixture while constantly whisking it. Lastly, pour your avgolemono sauce into your soup or stew, stir lightly, and bring to a boil to finish off your food.

French Fricassee vs Greek Fricassee

For a French Fricassee in the old days they used to cut the meat in small pieces and lightly sauté them, without browning them, and then braise them in a liquid of their choice, usually stock.

In the more modern version of fricassee they have started browning the meat before braising it and in some variations there is even the addition of cream together with egg yolks and butter to thicken the sauce.

If you ask for a Fricassee dish at a French restaurant it will not have a lemony flavor.

The Greek Fricassee, on the other hand, is a stew that starts with browning the meat in olive oil and then braising it in stock or wine followed by the Avgolemono sauce (eggs, and lemon).

If you go to a Greek tavern and ask for anything Fricassee you should be expecting a lemony dish with Avgolemono in most cases.

The only thing the French and the Greek version of fricassee have in common is their creamy appearance. Besides that, I would say that they do not resemble in taste at all while one has a lemony taste and the other creamy.

Pork with Celery and Avgolemono sauce – The Greek Pork Fricassee

Prep: 1h | Cook: 2h 30m | Total: 3h 30m | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

800g Pork, leg or shoulder cut into portions
600g (4-5 bunches) Celeriac leaves
1 large onion, roughly chopped
180g White wine (1 wine glass)
5 Tbsp Olive oil
1 cup water
Salt for marinating the pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for Avgolemono:

90ml lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 Tbsp Corn starch
2 eggs

Instructions:

Line the pork in a shallow dish and wipe it dry with kitchen paper.
Salt the pork on all sides and let it marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
Wash the celery (celeriac leaves) well and cut it in half (about 5-6 cm in size).
Saute the onion with the olive oil over high heat until transparent.
Add the pork and saute it together with the onion until it gets a golden crust.
Add the white wine slowly and let it braise for a few minutes with an open lid to evaporate the alcohol.
Lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 and a half hours, checking if it needs some water here and there.
Alternatively, with a pressure cooker, after it whistles, lower the temperature to the lowest of our kitchen and leave it for 30 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave it for 1 hour.
Take the pork out of the pot and put it in a covered bowl keeping it warm.
Put the celery in the pot and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until it is fork-tender.
Turn off the heat and return the pork to the pot with the cooked celery.
In a bowl, prepare the Avgolemono sauce.
Dissolve the corn starch with the lemon juice.
In a deep bowl, lightly beat the 2 eggs and add the lemon juice with the corn starch.
Then take 2-3 soup spoons of pork juice from your pot and add it slowly into the egg mixture, whisking with quick movements.
Pour the Avgolemono in the pot with the pork and stir gently to spread the sauce everywhere.
Bring to a boil over high heat and your Pork with celery and Avgolemono sauce is ready! Enjoy it with French fries and country-style bread!

Notes:

If you simmer your food (pork and celery) in a normal pot you might need to add more than a cup of water. You will need to check it every now and then so that it does not dry up. If you add more water to your dish, it should be hot water.

Nutrition Facts Disclaimer

Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!