The traditional Christmas meal in Greece is a complex affair! Besides the usual turkey and lemon roast potatoes it is customary to serve a side dish of fricassee garnished with an egg-lemon sauce. Over the years I have experimented with several recipes ranging from lamb, goat and more recently pork and I have to admit, this is my kids most favorite variation!
Pork Fricassee is a very nutritious dish full of proteins, vitamins and calcium and is considered to be the best meal after the fasting period leading up to Christmas. If you have practiced fasting, your body is no longer used to digesting meat and having a heavy dish can lead to heartburn so this pork fricassee is ideal to gradually ease your digestive system back into its meat eating habits and provide you with the nutrients you have been missing out on.
To get the most out of this dish, make sure you visit your local butcher and ask for some really good quality pork fillets from the neck, diced into nice chunky cubes or larger slices. Enjoy! 🙂
PrintPork Fricassee recipe with Egg-lemon Sauce and Celery
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 95 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stew
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
The very best Pork Fricassee recipe, made in the traditional Greek way and served as part of the Christmas day dinner! Smothered in a tasty egg and lemon sauce and garnished with diced celery, this recipe will amaze you.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg boneless pork from the neck (43 ounces)
- 2 kg green celery (70 ounces)
- 2–3 spring onions, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 medium sized red onions, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper
For the egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono)
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- To prepare this delicious traditional pork fricassee recipe, start by removing all the yellow leaves from the celery. Wash thoroughly the celery and cut in 2-3 pieces each. In a large pan add some water and a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil; parboil the celery for about 5 minutes, drain in a colander and set aside.
- Cut the pork into portions, wash, strain and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the meat and sauté on both sides, until lightly coloured. Add the onions and sauté, until softened (but not coloured).
- Pour in 2 cups of lukewarm water, put the lid on and let it simmer for about 1 hour. Add the celery and season with salt and pepper; let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes. (Do not stir with a wooden spoon, rather than simply shake the pan occasionally, keeping the handles.) Remove the pan from the stove and set aside.
- To prepare the egg lemon sauce for the pork fricassee, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk; gradually add the lemon juice and the corn starch and whisk until it dissolves. Take a ladle of stock from the pan, pour in the egg and lemon mixture and whisk quickly. Add one more ladle and whisk again, so that the eggs get warm. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot, shake the pan to blend and simmer for 3 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- This traditional recipe for pork fricassee in egg lemon sauce, can be also made with veal, lamb or chicken. Enjoy while still warm. Merry Christmas!
Keywords: pork fricassee, Greek pork fricassee with celery
Tried so many of these recipes and they have all come out tops…bravo!
Would replacing the pork for veal or chicken change the taste significantly? Thank you.