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 greek 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 greek extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
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Start the base:
In a separate pot, heat 3 tablespoons of greek 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!
