Celery Avgolemono Soup Recipe (Greek Winter Soup)

In short

Soupa selino avgolemono is a Greek winter soup of celery, simmered with pork or chicken into a rich broth, finished with the classic egg and lemon avgolemono. It gives a vegetable that rarely takes centre stage in most cuisines a genuine starring role.

Celery gets treated as a background aromatic in most cooking, rarely the main event, but Greek soupa selino avgolemono puts a genuinely large quantity of it front and centre, simmered alongside pork or chicken into a rich broth, then finished with the same silky egg and lemon liaison that runs through so much of Greek soup cookery.

This is real winter comfort food, built to use celery at the time of year it is actually at its best, and the meat, simmered low and slow alongside it, becomes genuinely tender by the time the vegetable has given up its full flavour into the broth.

As with any avgolemono dish, the finishing technique is what separates a good version from one that has split into unappetising curds, and it rewards the same patience any egg and lemon sauce demands.

Key preparation steps

Brown pork or chicken pieces, then simmer with a large quantity of celery.
Cook until both the meat and celery are completely tender.
Take the pot off the heat and prepare the avgolemono.
Finish gently, never returning to a hard boil.

The meat and celery base

Pork shoulder, cut into chunks, or bone-in chicken pieces, browned first for depth, then simmered with a genuinely large quantity of chopped celery, both stalks and, if you like, some leaves for extra flavour, along with onion and enough water to cover well. This needs a proper hour to hour and a half simmer, until both the meat and the celery are completely tender.

Building flavour

Celery alone can taste a little one-note over a long simmer, so a little chopped leek or spring onion alongside it rounds out the broth nicely, and a bay leaf added early contributes real background depth without needing to be noticeable in the finished bowl.

The avgolemono finish

Take the pot completely off the heat once the celery and meat are tender. Beat eggs with lemon juice, temper gradually with several ladlefuls of the hot broth, whisking constantly, then stir the tempered mixture back into the pot.

Never return the pot to a hard boil once the egg has gone in, since it will split into unappetising curds rather than staying silky. Serve immediately.

Tips from my kitchen

Use a genuinely large quantity of celery

It is meant to be the star of this soup, not a background aromatic, so do not be shy with the amount.

Add leek alongside the celery

It rounds out the broth's flavour, since celery alone can taste a little one-note over a long simmer.

Never reheat once the avgolemono is in

The sauce splits into grainy curds if returned to a hard boil, exactly as with any other egg and lemon dish.

Frequently asked questions about Soupa selino avgolemono

Can you make this soup with chicken instead of pork?

Yes, bone-in chicken pieces work very well and follow the same method, generally needing a slightly shorter simmering time than pork shoulder.

Why is my avgolemono soup grainy?

Almost always because the pot was still on or too close to the heat when the egg mixture was added. Take it fully off the heat and temper the eggs gradually with hot broth before combining.

Is this a traditional Greek soup?

Yes, it is a genuine, if somewhat less internationally known, member of the wide family of Greek avgolemono soups, celebrating a vegetable that rarely gets the spotlight elsewhere.

Soupa Selino Avgolemono Recipe (Greek Celery Soup with Egg and Lemon)