How to Make Pork with Celery, The Original Cretan Recipe
Χοιρινό με σέλινο or pork with celery is a very popular winter dish that we love to enjoy on Crete when cold days make their way on the island. Are you ready to try the dish? You’re in the right spot to learn how to make it! Read on…
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Did you know? This is a very traditional dish that has its own day to be eaten on the island! Related to the feast of Agios Dimitrios (October 26th, when days start getting a bit chillier on Crete), this dish is often prepared on that day all over Crete, but especially in the village of Platanias, in Chania.
Agios Dimitrios is the saint patron of the village, and the name is one of the most popular ones in Greece!
About Pork Traditions in Crete
Despite being eaten all over the country, this dish is particularly loved on the island, and often seen on a Christmas table as well as on New Year’s Eve. Wondering why?
Well, it has long been a tradition to serve pork during the holidays, especially in small hamlets and villages. In fact, pigs were usually slaughtered in the month of December, often on Christmas Eve, thus ending a long fasting period that started back in mid-November.
But that meat was not just used for the holiday dinners, pork was also preserved in different ways and used for many months to come. Tsilada (brawn) is a dish prepared with the head and feet of the pork, often cooked after Christmas, and often eaten for New Year’s dinner.
Other dishes that this Christmas pork would give include apaki (smoked pork curated with vinegar), sausages, meat pies, and more.
The tradition is still maintained in the more rural areas of the island, and pork remains the most popular meat locally eaten during the Holidays.
Want to taste more Christmas dishes? Read this great recipe for kourabiedes!
Pork with Celery
This dish uses what’s known as selino, a wilder and stronger variety of celery often found in Greece and many other European countries, mostly in the Mediterranean region.
In many villages, Pork with Celery is still cooked traditionally, that is in a clay pot over a wood fire. Trust me, this is the most delicious method to prepare this recipe. Remember to choose a lean pork cut, pork loin is my cut of choice when cooking pork with celery.
Bear in mind: This dish can be made also with the regular celery which you can find at your local grocery store (often known as the Pascal variety). The result will be quite similar.
Selino with Avgolemono: A Great Combination
This dish can also be found in avgolemono sauce, one of the most delicious sauces you will ever found in Greek cuisine. It has not been included in this Cretan version, but a great alternative that well combines with celery for an extra twist in flavor.
If you prefer to have Pork with Celery without avgolemono sauce, you can easily enhance the already delicious flavors using also leeks, lots of dried oregano, and fresh dill, and generously pour some local white wine in the pot while making this recipe… it will be just perfect!
Check how to prepare Pork with Celery and Avgolemono Sauce here.
Best Cretan Wines to Pair with Pork and Celery
Lyrarakis Plytó Psarades, white dry wine made with the Plytó grape variety (saved from extinction by the Lyrarakis family).
Pork with Celery Recipe
Cretan Pork with Celery
Traditional Christmas dish with or without avgolemono sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 kilo of pork, choose a boneless and lean cut such as loin.
- 1.5 kilo of celery (the variety you find, selino is used on the island).
- 2 onions finely chopped.
- 1/3 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil.
- juice of 2 big lemons.
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- Optional: you can use 1 kilo of celery and half a kilo of leek to prepare this dish.
Instructions
- In a deep casserole, put water and some salt to boil, add the celery (and leeks, if you have decided to use them in your recipe) and boil for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, cut the pork into big stewing chunks and finely chop the onion.
- Add olive oil to a pan, when it's hot, add the finely chopped onion as well as the pork pieces and let it cook until everything gets a nice golden brown shade.
- Add some water (about 2 to 3 cups, depending on the sice of your pork pieces) and let the meat cook for about 45 minutes with the lid on.
- After that time has passed, the pork will be quite tender. It's time to incorporate the celery (or celery and leek), as well as salt and pepper. Cover again and let it cook in very low flame.
- Avoid stirring. Instead, it's a better idea to just shake the casserole a bit for the meat not to stick on the bottom. If more water is necessary, then add it to the casserole, but do not overdo it.
- The dish is ready once the water has been absorved and the meat is tender. At this point, you should add the lemon juice, let it sit for a couple of minutes and serve hot.
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Recipe for Cretan Pork with Celery
Gabi Ancarola
Gabi is a Crete based journalist and travel writer that has fallen in love with the Cretan Diet. She has spent the last 8 years helping travelers design their dreamy itinerary on Crete through the pages of her Crete travel blog, Crete Insider. Now she is ready to share all the cooking tricks she has learned on the island!
