Chef Dimitra
Bourdeto Kerkyra (Μπουρδέτο Κέρκυρας)
Corfu's bourdeto is a red, pepper-hot fish braise, traditionally made with scorpionfish, potatoes, tomato, and enough heat to announce the Ionian table.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Macedonian Hirino me Selino Avgolemono (Χοιρινό με Σέλινο Αυγολέμονο)
Created by
Macedonia's Christmas pork stew, with more celery than seems reasonable and a lemony avgolemono finish that turns the broth pale, thick, and spoon-coating around tender meat.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Christmas
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
30 min
Active Time
1 hr 45 min cook•2 hr 15 min total
Yield6 servings
Macedonian hirino me selino avgolemono is winter pork and a great mass of celery, cooked until the meat yields and the greens soften into the broth. It is a Christmas pot in much of the north, pale from egg and lemon, sharp enough to wake the richness of pork. This is not a stew where celery is a polite background. Selino is the second main ingredient.
The whole dish turns on the avgolemono. You pull the pot off the heat, whisk hot broth into the eggs and lemon a ladle at a time, then return it gently so the sauce thickens like silk instead of scrambling. That's the only fussy moment. Do it calmly and the pork, celery, and lemon come together as one sauce.
Use leaf celery if you can find it, leaves and all, because ordinary thick stalk celery is too quiet unless you help it. Your grandmother cooked by eye because she'd made it a thousand times. Here are the numbers until you have, and after that the pot will teach you.
In Macedonia and the wider north, hirino me selino avgolemono belongs to the Christmas season, when household pork from the winter choirosfagia met the celery that could survive cold gardens. Choirosfagia, the pig-slaughtering custom, made fresh pork a feast meat before refrigeration made it ordinary. The avgolemono finish keeps this version white and lemony, separate from the tomato braises found in other regional pork dishes.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
pork shoulder
Quantity
1.2kg
cut into 4cm pieces and patted dry
Greek leaf celery (selino)
Quantity
1.1kg
leaves and tender stems, washed well and cut into 6cm lengths
celeriac (optional)
Quantity
300g
peeled and cut into 2cm wedges, only if using mild celery
yellow onions
Quantity
2 medium, about 300g
finely chopped
extra virgin Greek olive oil
Quantity
90ml
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 tsp
divided, plus more for blanching water
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 tsp
hot water
Quantity
700ml
large eggs
Quantity
2
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
90ml
from 2 to 3 lemons
tender celery leaves
Quantity
small handful
reserved from the bunch, for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| pork shouldercut into 4cm pieces and patted dry | 1.2kg |
| Greek leaf celery (selino)leaves and tender stems, washed well and cut into 6cm lengths | 1.1kg |
| celeriac (optional)peeled and cut into 2cm wedges, only if using mild celery | 300g |
| yellow onionsfinely chopped | 2 medium, about 300g |
| extra virgin Greek olive oildivided | 90ml |
| fine sea saltdivided, plus more for blanching water | 2 tsp |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
| hot water | 700ml |
| large eggs | 2 |
| fresh lemon juicefrom 2 to 3 lemons | 90ml |
| tender celery leavesreserved from the bunch, for finishing | small handful |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy pot with lid, 28 to 30cm
- •large 5 liter pot for blanching celery
- •ladle and balloon whisk
Instructions
- 1
Blanch the celery
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cut celery and blanch for 5 minutes, or 7 minutes if the stems are thick, until the green deepens and the stems bend without snapping. Drain well. This takes the rough edge off strong selino and lets the final stew taste green, not harsh.
- 2
Brown the pork
Season the pork with 1 tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Warm 60ml of the olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat, then brown the pork in two or three batches, turning until the edges take color. Don't crowd the pot. You want golden edges, not a dark crust, because this is still a white lemon stew. Move the browned pork to a plate.
- 3
Start the braise
Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 30ml olive oil if the pot looks dry. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the base, until the onions are soft and sweet. Return the pork and any juices to the pot. Add the hot water, bring to a gentle bubble, cover, and cook for 55 to 65 minutes, until the pork is nearly tender.
- 4
Add the celery
Nestle the blanched celery into the pot, along with the celeriac if you're using it. Add the remaining salt, cover again, and simmer gently for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pork breaks easily with a fork and the celery is soft but not collapsed into threads. If the pot looks dry, add a little hot water. If the broth is too thin, uncover for the last 10 minutes.
- 5
Temper the avgolemono
Take the pot off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until loose and pale, then whisk in the lemon juice. Add two ladles of hot broth to the eggs in a thin stream, whisking the whole time. Hot broth goes into the eggs slowly, then the warmed eggs go back to the pot. That is what makes the avgolemono silky instead of scrambled.
Once the avgolemono goes in, the stew must not boil. A bare tremble is enough to thicken the sauce. - 6
Finish and rest
Pour the tempered avgolemono back into the pot, moving the pot in slow circles so the sauce slips between the pork and celery. Set it over the lowest heat for 1 to 2 minutes only, just until the sauce coats the spoon. Taste for salt and lemon. Rest 10 minutes, scatter over the reserved tender celery leaves, and serve with country bread.
Chef Tips
- •Look for Greek leaf celery, selino, or wild celery with plenty of leaves. If all you have is pale thick stalk celery, use the hearts, add the celeriac, and keep every leaf you can find. Λίγα και καλά: fewer ingredients, but the right ones.
- •Avgolemono dislikes impatience. Reheat leftovers over low heat and stop before the sauce bubbles, or the eggs will tighten and the sauce will lose its silk.
- •This is a Christmas table dish in Macedonia, but it eats well all winter. Put a sharp cabbage salad beside it and enough bread for the lemon sauce. You don't need much else.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash, cut, and blanch the celery up to 24 hours ahead. Chill it covered, then add it to the braise when needed.
- •Braise the pork and celery up to 1 day ahead without the avgolemono. Chill, rewarm gently, then temper and add the eggs and lemon just before serving.
- •After avgolemono is added, leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly over low heat and do not let the sauce bubble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 475g)
Calories
680 calories
Total Fat
52 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
37 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
1250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
39 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Greek Stews & Braises (Kokkinista)
Browse the full collection
Chef Dimitra
Central Macedonian Arni Fricassee (Αρνί Φρικασέ Μακεδονίας)
Central Macedonia's spring lamb fricassee braises shoulder with romaine, dill, and spring onion, then finishes the pot with avgolemono, the egg-lemon sauce that makes it silk.
Chef Dimitra
Chania Tsigariasto (Χανιώτικο Τσιγαριαστό)
In Chania, tsigariasto is goat or lamb browned in olive oil, softened with wine, and left to braise without water until the pot gives back only glossy meat juices.
Chef Dimitra
Cycladic Htapodi Stifado (Χταπόδι Στιφάδο)
Cycladic octopus stifado is the fasting table's stew: octopus cooked first in its own liquor, then braised with pearl onions, red wine, vinegar, and warm spice.