Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Chirino me Selino
368 kcal a serving, against 630 for the traditional version. That is 262 kcal off, or 42%, with 39.5g of protein. Serves 6. 100 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Large pieces of fatty pork shoulder heavily browned in a massive glug of olive oil. Braised with onions and thick sticks of celery until soft. Finished with a rich avgolemono sauce made from whole eggs and a lot of lemon juice, creating a very heavy, fatty broth.
What changed, and what each change costs
Fatty pork shoulder down to lean pork shoulder
Pork shoulder with the fat cap left on pumps massive amounts of grease into the braising liquid. Trimming the meat down to pure lean muscle keeps the flavour but bins the heavy fat.
What it costs you. Lean meat can dry out if you boil it aggressively. You have to simmer it gently to keep it tender.
100g of olive oil down to 15g
The traditional recipe practically deep-fries the pork at the start. A tiny bit of oil is enough to stop the meat sticking to a hot frying pan.
What it costs you. You lose the golden, fatty slick that floats on top of a classic Greek stew. The broth is much thinner and sharper.
Adding egg whites to the avgolemono sauce
Extra egg whites whisked into the sauce thicken the broth beautifully and add a huge hit of pure protein without bringing any extra fat.
What it costs you. You end up with much frothier. The version that's a rich, custard-like sauce is still out there and still better. If you let the pan boil after adding the whites, they will scramble instantly.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 630 | 368 |
| Protein | 34.2g | 39.5g |
| Fat | 49.5g | 17.4g |
| Saturated fat | 13.6g | 5.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 11g | 12.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.4g | 10.7g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery, eggs.
The method is in the book
This stew is a massive win. You miss the deep, heavy richness of the melted pork fat, but the sharp lemon and celery flavours actually punch through much better without it. The extra egg white creates a beautiful, velvety broth that clings to the meat perfectly.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback