Greek Pork Stew with Leeks, Egg & Lemon

Greek Pork Stew with leeks, celery, and egg-lemon sauce is a classic Greek home-style dish. It's simple, flavorful, and deeply comforting. The pork chunks are slowly cooked until very tender while the leeks melt into the stew, giving it a thick, creamy texture.

This pork shoulder stew is called Hirino Prasoselino (Pork with leeks and celery). And it's very similar to Greek Lamb Fricassee, another favorite homey comfort food.

Table Of Contents

• How To Make
• TIPS
• Best Pork Cuts
• Using Other Meat
• Storing
• Serve With
• Recipe

This Greek Pork Stew is warm and comforting; it tastes bright and lemony, with a rich, creamy texture from the melted leeks and egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono).

How To Make

To make egg-lemon Pork stew, first saute the pork pieces, then cook the leeks until tender. Sauté the onions and spring onions as well, then return the meat to the pot along with its juices. Add the celery, water (or vegetable stock), and simmer gently until the meat becomes tender.

Finally, make the Avgolemono sauce. Whisk eggs with a small amount of cornstarch (this helps thicken the sauce) and fresh lemon juice. Slowly incorporate the hot liquid from the pot into the eggs while whisking to prevent curdling.

TIPS

1. Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking. This will prevent it from becoming tough when you cook it.
2. The more you brown it, the darker the sauce will be. Ideally, for this egg-lemon stew, we want a moderate amount of browning. Deep-browning is best for heavier, tomato sauces like Kokkinisto.
3. Make sure to thoroughly remove the threads from the celery sticks. To do this, simply pull them away with a knife.
4. For extra flavor, you can use vegetable stock instead of water. Also, for a stronger celery flavor, you can grate some celery bulb and add it to the stew.
5. Add a herby kick by adding a tablespoon or two of minced dill when making the avgolemono. This is not in the original recipe, but it goes so well.
6. This pork stew is not too thick. It's a bit soupy if you want it extra thick and creamy, so use 1 cup less of water or stock than the recipe calls for. In that case, also use 1 teaspoon less cornstarch.
7. When making the Avgolemono (egg-lemon), make sure to incorporate the hot liquid from the pot into the eggs very slowly. Beginning with small drops. This avoids a sudden temperature shift that would cause the eggs to curdle. Whisking the eggs constantly is very important.
8. Cornstarch begins to thicken when it simmers. That's why we return the pot to the heat (to the lowest heat) and simmer for a few minutes after making the avgolemono. Also, cornstarch thickens more as it cools. So letting the food stand for 30 minutes on the warm stove before serving will also thicken it further.

Best Pork Cuts

The best pork cuts to make this stew are either boneless pork shoulder or pork neck. Pork neck can be a bit more tender, while pork shoulder contains less fat. Both types should be cut into cubes for stewing.

Using Other Meat

To make this Greek egg-lemon stew with leeks and celery, you can use other meat instead of pork. Such as beef chunks, or lamb chunks, even chicken thighs or drumsticks, or a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces.

Storing

You can store this egg-lemon pork stew with leeks in an air-tight food container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat very slowly on the stovetop. Ideally, skip metal food containers (especially aluminum), as they may react with the lemon's acidity. Glass or plastic are best.

Serve With

Serve this traditional Greek pork stew with steamed rice, creamy mashed potatoes, or these Greek Lemon Potatoes.

Recipe