Hoirino me Selino: Lemon Pork with Celery

This stew is a favorite combination of tastes... meat, in this case pork, stewed with a green vegetable (celery), doused with lemon juice before serving. It's easy and delicious.

This is one of the few Greek recipes that calls for thick-stemmed celery, and not wild celery.

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Oven-Roasted Pork Chops with Potatoes

In Greek: μπριζόλες χοιρινές στο φούρνο, pronounced bree-ZOH-les hee-ree-NES stoh FOOR-no

Pork chops are roasted with potatoes and a sprinkling of chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic. This is an easy and delicious dish to prepare. Just add a salad to complete the meal.
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

* 6 pork chops (approx. 3 3/4 - 4 pounds, each about 3/4 inch thick)
* 7 large potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise
* 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped (with juice)
* 1 green bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 big red onion in rings
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 1/2 cup of lemon juice
* salt
* pepper
* Greek oregano (rigani)
* water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 480F (250C).

Rinse the pork chops well to remove any debris. Drain but do not dry, and salt on both sides with 1 tablespoon of salt.

In a large roasting pan, place the pork chops in a single layer. Add potatoes on top and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of oregano. Add tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour lemon juice and olive oil over the top and add 3 1/2 cups of water, or enough water to make 1 inch of liquid in the pan.

Roast at 480F (250C) until the liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to 425F (220C) and cook for 1 hour or until the potatoes are slightly browned and soft (test with a fork). Move the pork chops from the bottom of the pan to the top, laying them over the potatoes. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of water and continue to cook for 1 hour longer, until the pork chops are well-browned and very tender.

Make it a meal with Maroulosalata (Romaine Salad), a slice of feta cheese, tzatziki and some crusty country bread.

Yield: serves 6

Souvlaki: Grilled Pork Kebabs

It's time to fire up the grill (if you haven't already) - and get your souvlaki on! Last-minute souvlaki is best made with pork or chicken. They are tender meats and just need a short time in the marinade. Lamb and beef are tougher and need a long time to marinate.

Souvlaki (say: soov-LAH-kee) - skewered kebabs - is one of those foods that have become synonymous with Greece, as popular with Greeks as they are with non-Greeks. Souvlaki is a favorite street food on the skewer or in pita wraps, and a family favorite at home, cooked on the grill. A quick marinade of herbs, spices, oil, is all that's needed.

Ingredients:

· Pork Loin
· Garlic, finely chopped
· Olive Oil
· Lemon, fresh juice
· Red Onion, finely chopped
· Green bell pepper
· Tomatoes
· Salt and pepper
· dried Greek oregano (rigani)

Prepare the meat and cut in bite size pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the garlic, onion, oregano and olive oil and season with the pepper and salt. If making bigger quantities, use plastic bags and place the meat with the marinade in each bag, shake well and store in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours. Make sure to shake the plastic bags several times so that the marinade can distribute evenly. If marinating the meat in the bowl, turn it with a spoon several times (that’s what I prefer and you can actually prepare that 2 days in advance it becomes more tender).

When ready to make, put the meat pieces on the skewers (with or without thin slices of onion, tomatoe and green bell pepper between) and grill them for a few minutes. Don’t overdo it since pork loin gets harder when extensively grilled.

Of all the versions of souvlaki, pork is the most frequently used meat in Greece. This is an easy recipe to make, and even easier to eat. Make the skewers with small pieces of meat to recreate a classic Greek street food, or make them large for a meal.

Favorite taste combinations: When fixing this recipe for Pork Souvlaki at home, I always figure on at least ½ killo of meat per person because these are such favorites. But that's a lot of meat - so side dishes are kept pretty minimal. We enjoy these with fried potatoes, a classic Greek salad, some great crusty country bread (or grilled Greek or Cyprus pitta bread if available), and tzatziki.