This is one of those humble, comforting Greek dishes that lets simple ingredients shine — no fuss, just fresh seasonal vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and slow cooking doing all the work.
A friend gave us a big bunch of homegrown celery, and it was the perfect excuse to make this traditional Greek dish. It's especially common in Southern Greece and was a family favourite that my mum grew up eating — simple, nourishing and packed with flavour!
The meat version features pork, while the vegan version swaps it for black-eyed peas - both are equally delicious in their own way. But the true star of the dish is the slow-cooked celery, which transforms into a wonderfully tender, melt-in-your-mouth delight, releasing a natural sweetness that’s simply irresistible.
Ingredients
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3 bunches of celery (approx. 1kg), chopped
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2 leeks, sliced
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5 spring onions, chopped
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1 brown onion, diced
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2 garlic cloves, sliced
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2 tins of pre-cooked black-eyed peas (800g), drained and rinsed
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1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
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300ml chopped tomatoes
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125ml white wine
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50ml water (reserved from boiling the celery)
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1 lemon, freshly squeezed
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6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Prep the celery:
Wash the celery and trim off the base. Gently peel away any tough, stringy fibres from the stalks. Cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces and the leafy tops into 4-inch pieces.
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Boil the celery:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the celery, pushing it down with a ladle or spoon to submerge fully. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve 50ml of the cooking water. In a bowl, combine the boiled celery with the reserved water, a pinch of sea salt, and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
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Start the base:
In a separate pot, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sliced garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
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Add the leeks and spring onions:
Stir in the leeks and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the spring onions and sauté for a few more minutes.
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Deglaze with wine:
Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Bring everything together:
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the black-eyed peas and the pre-cooked celery mixture.
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Simmer:
Cover and reduce to medium heat. Simmer gently for 40 minutes, uncovering occasionally to stir. At around the 35-minute mark, stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Note: If the mixture starts to dry out, add a splash more of the reserved celery water.
Tips & Twists
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Celery fibres: Trim the tough outer stalks and peel off the stringy fibres by gently pulling them downwards with a knife. The fewer fibres left, the more tender and delicate the celery will be once cooked.
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Fresh celery with leaves: if you can, try to get your hands on fresh celery with its leaves still attached — there's a lot of delicious flavour in the leaves!
To watch the recipe reel click here.
Enjoy!
