I can’t seem to get enough of pork celery avgolemono. Literally, I can’t get enough of it. (Hint: Mom, when you read this please feel free to make a batch). A chunky stew, pork celery avgolemono consists of bites of tender pork and celery, plus leeks and seasonings, finished with a bright egg lemon sauce. My mom makes it often throughout the year, and more often when it turns cold. But somehow often is never enough for me.
The dish can be made two ways. If you choose stovetop, you’ll add and cook the ingredients in a large pot slowly as you would any stew. My busy-bee mom prefers the second method, via Crockpot, leaving the main ingredients to slow cook together for the day. With both methods, you add the avgolemono sauce as the final touch, mixed in with the pork and celery just before serving.
Stovetop or Crockpot—the choice is yours. I include both recipes below. Both produce the same gratifying result. And both require a fresh loaf of bread to soak up that juicy avgolemono happiness.
Stovetop method:
- 3 lbs pork, cut into 2 inch chunks
- 6 leeks, washed and trimmed
- 8 stalks of celery & leaves, cut into inch pieces
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 cups of water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork lightly with salt and pepper and sear the meat until nicely browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes.
- Cut and discard the roots of the leeks, using just the white and a small portion of green parts. Carefully clean the remainder of the leeks, and cut them into thin rounds. Cut the celery into 1 inch pieces.
- Add the leeks to celery and cook until soft and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add enough water to the pan to cover the meat and let simmer for 45-1 hour, until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- When the meat is nearly tender, prepare the egg lemon sauce. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice.
- While whisking the egg and lemon mixture, slowly incorporate a cup of the liquid from the pot to temper the liquids and avoid curdling.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir the mixture gently. Season with salt and pepper as needed and allow the flavors to blend together before serving. Enjoy!
Crockpot method:
- 3 lbs pork, cut into 2 inch chunks
- 6 leeks, washed and trimmed
- 8 stalks of celery & leaves, cut into inch pieces
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 cups of water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork lightly with salt and pepper and sear the meat until nicely browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes.
- Cut and discard the roots of the leeks, using just the white and a small portion of green parts. Carefully clean the remainder of the leeks, and cut them into thin rounds. Cut the celery into 1 inch pieces.
- Add the pork, leeks, celery, and one cup of water into a crockpot and leave to simmer on low to medium heat for up to 6 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- When the meat is nearly tender and you’re ready to serve, prepare the egg lemon sauce. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice. While whisking the egg and lemon mixture, slowly incorporate a cup of the liquid from the pot to temper the liquids and avoid curdling.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir the mixture gently. Season with salt and pepper as needed and allow the flavors to blend together before serving. Enjoy!
