Greek Stewed Pork and Greens in Lemon Sauce – Fricassee

This type of dish of stewed meat along with greens is one of those old-fashioned meals Greek grandmothers make. They are comforting and rich, and I feel that they point to an important aspect of Greek cuisine; even though it is a meat dish and is considered a special occasion meal, the meat is not the center of attention, but all the vegetables that accompany it. Greek cuisine has a tradition of stewing meats with many herbs and vegetables resulting in a soothing and healthy meal perfect for those days when you want something warm that combines some meat and some hearty vegetables.

Yes, there are plenty of vegetables in this dish. For this recipe you will use about 3-4 pounds of vegetables. So, while you will be eating some meat, you will be getting plenty of greens. Many of these dishes are cooked with the famous avgolemo sauce, but this one is easier: you only add lemon juice.

There are certain combinations that work best. For example pork is usually cooked with celery leaves or chard (as I have done here) or lettuce. Choose pork shoulder and use medium sized chunks, do not cut the meat in very small pieces as I find that they can become tough. Eat this with some good bread for soaking up the lemony juice.

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Greek Stewed Pork and Greens in Lemon Sauce- Pork Fricassee

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Tender pork along with greens and a lemon sauce, this hearty, comforting meal is not only tasty, it is cooked with plenty of greens, making it healthy too.

Course: Entree, meat

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: Fricassee, Greek, Pork

Servings: 4

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Author: Elena Paravantes, MS, RD

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork shoulder cut in large chunks
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 chopped onions
• 3-4 sliced spring onions (only white part)
• 1 leek sliced (only white)
• ½ cup chopped dill
• 2 pounds chard roughly chopped
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 allspice berries
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Heat (medium to high) a heavy pan with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the bay leaves, allspice and some pepper and brown the meat on both sides, about 2-3 minutes each side. Do not cook the meat completely. You can do this in batches so as to not crowd the meat.
• In a pot, heat the rest of the olive oil and sauté the onion, the spring onion and the leek until soft. Add the dill and sauté 1-2 minutes more.
• Once the meat is browned, place in the pot with the onion mixture and more pepper and salt. Add warm water enough to barely cover the meat. Cover the pot and simmer for about 1 hour, until meat is soft and tender.
• Open the pot and add chard and the lemon juice. Mix a bit with a large spoon. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, until chard has wilted. Mix occasionally so that all greens are wilted.
• Serve with bread.