Across Greece and especially around the city of Thessaloniki, one will find these shops that are open all night, serving up hot bowls of soup, be it summer or winter.
These joints are called “Patzatzidika”, serving up the main soup known as “Patsa”. A Patsa is a soup that contains boiled tripe, pigs feet and heavy on the garlic and vinegar. Patsa is also known for warding off hangovers. One sees many Greeks patronizing a Patzatzidiko late at night, just before returning home.
I don’t do Patsa. I tried my mom’s once again this year and it still was not appealing at all to me. I do however, adore her Vrasto which also appears on many menus at Patzatzidika.
Today, we’re going to enjoy Vrasto. It’s a chunky Greek soup and it gets it’s name (Vrasto), which means boiled. This soup is straightforward, easy to make with ingredients available to just about anyone.
Once again I save lots of time by using my trusty pressure cooker. I know there are some “fraidy-cats” ou there who are timid at the mention of pressure cookers but again I insist, get one added to your roster of kitchen utensils.
A pressure cooker is very safe and easy to use: place contents into the pot, close lid and secure. If the lid has not been closed properly, there will be no seal (safe). Conversely, when a seal is formed, it’s impossible to open the pressure cooker due to the amount of pressure formed. Finally, there’s a valve that allows you to release the pressure and when the whistle stops blowing, your pressure cooker will open safely.
Ask Santa for a pressure cooker.
Vrasto is a chunky soup of onions, carrots, potatoes and celery simmered in a beef/veal broth and brought together by a wonderful and very Greek Avgolemono Sauce. I’m a big fan of soups that eat like a meal and a Vrasto hits that spot.
Vrasto 
1 kg. of veal shoulder
enough water to cover the meat
1/4 cup of olive oil
3-4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 large potato, grated
4 potatoes, rough chop
6 small onions, halved
3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
Avgolemono
2 eggs
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. of flour
- Rinse your veal shoulder and place in the pressure cooker. Fill up with enough water to just cover the meat. Secure the lid on your pressure cooker and turn the heat to high. As soon as your pressure cooker has formed it’s seal and starts to whistle, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-30 miniutes. Release the pressure before opening the cooker.
- Remove the meat and reserve on a plate. Skim the fat from the broth and and pass through a strainer.
- In another large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery and saute on low heat until the onions have become soft and translucent (about 15 minutes). Grate the 5th potato and stir so that it doesn’t stick or burn (add some water if too dry).
- Add the stock (about 10 cups), bay leaves and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes. Add the meat into the soup to warm through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and take off the heat.
- Make your Avgolemono by adding the eggs to a large bowl and beat them with a whisk. Now add the lemon juice and flour and whisk to incorporate. Take a ladle of your soup and add it to your Avgolemono while whisking.
- Now slowly pour your Avgolemono into the pot of soup while gently stirring it. Serve the soup hot with each portion having chunky vegetables, a piece of meat and some crusty bread at the side.
54 Responses
I’m asking Santa for all new camera equipment, so I better not be too greedy. I’ll have to buy my own pressure cooker. I keep hearing wonderful things about them.
This looks terribly comforting on our blustery and rainy day!
You almost have me ready to use a pressure cooker! I am in the fraidy cat sector! Great looking dish!
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
A comforting and delicious soup! It looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
Woah! That is quite a hearty soup
That looks wonderful!
Emily @ justeatfood.com
Ok, it’s lunchtime, I’ve skipped breakfast. Looking at that soup just made my stomach growl like it never has before, hehe.
I have a pressure cooker! Was scared to use it until last march, made a traditional corned beef dinner in just about an hour. I’m sold on it! but I need to use it more.
Extremely wonderful and comforting meal. It’s sounds perfect right now, as the weather here is getting much colder and it has been raining the whole days.
Cheers,
Elra
Looks delicious Peter. A bit like Tafelspitz meets corned beef? Love the addition of Avgolemono!
Interesting, Patsa is the Greek version of the Mexican menudo, which I love! (No one understand! *sobs*)
The soup sounds really good. I wish I had a bowl right now because it’s pretty cold.
This looks much like “cocido” which is a traditional boiled Spanish dinner served in two parts. First the soup, then the meats and vegetables that were cooked in it. I guess every origin has their boiled dinners. P.S. Also popular in many cultures is stopping for soup after a night on the town.
The soup looks great and is a meal. I have a pressure cooker, but only use it for canning so far. Must try your recipe.
I am a ‘fraidy cat too. I blame hubby, who told me of his mother’s blowing up when he was a child.
I assume they are built better now. I do want one one day, maybe next Christmas..
The soup looks great – I like mine to eat like a meal too!
Wonderful, home-y soup. It sounds like our “nilaga” (boiled soup), but I love the addition of avgolemono here. I might have to try that next time.
I’m from the old school, no pressure cooker for me! I love the slow boiling, the steamy windows and the soup smell staying for hours in my kitchen ;D
Vrasto sounds fantastic! Please hand me a bowl, it’s freezing cold here!!!!
This looks a lot like soup I used to have frequently when I lived in Russia.
I’m old school, too – give me a slow pot any day.
i love avgolemono soup, and just about any thick and chunky soup is fine by me
Your post has made me so nostalgiac! If you substitute ham for the veal, this looks EXACTLY like my Mom’s Boiled Dinner she used to make in the pressure cooker! Now I must make some…..
Looks a yummy dinner! Ok I now want a pressure cooker!
Any leftovers? This look like good comfort food.
This kind of reminds me of the Austrian Tafelspitz.I have started using my pressure cooker which I have had for years and love it. Think I may pull it out tonight.
Now, that’s a meal. I’m a huge fan of a soup with some serious substance… and this definitely fits the bill.
Good recipe, thanks! I just wanted to add that this recipe can also be done with goat, and trout.
A perfect soup for the cold winter days. Served with a lot of black pepper on it and some good wine:))
Bravo Peter!!
I can’t really get veal here, what would be a good substitute?
Ooooh, Yummy! When I first saw the photo, it visually reminded me of corned beef and cabbage. These flavors are very different from that dish, however. Especially with that yummy Avgolemono. Did you add the green beans to the soup, too? I could use a big serving of this right now!
Just wondering… why don’t you do Patsa? it sounds awesome – kind of like a bollito misto except i’m drawn to that garlicy soup bit.
I’m with you on patsa! I have never ever liked it. But vrasto is delightful and often enjoyed in the winter. Beautifully presented Peter
Mmmm, this looks identical to what my grandmother used to make.
Thanks for posting the memory …
My mom makes a similar version – but she doesn’t use a pressure cooker. Truly it’s not the same.
Cheers!
A wee bit like Greek menudo…It’s funny we have some similar taste in music…
Looks great, Peter. Anything with veal is good with me. I definitely don’t do patsa either.
One of my favourite soups, although most of the times I avoid using the avgolemono in this particular soup and prefer to thicken it with some rice and add olive oil and lemon juice.
I already have a pressure cooker so I asked Santa for a Kitchenaid mixer … and a tennis bracelet ;)
That looks an awful like a bolito misto, which is fab on cold winter days after a morning of skiing (or power shopping at the Christmas markets!)
This soup is perfect for cutting through all the cookie dough I’ve been eating during this holiday season :)
Dear Peter I love all your dishes, that is the problem, I breakfast but Im hungry now, xxxGloria
I remember my mom cooking so many types of food in the pressure cooker when I was a child. I hear they are coming back in vogue, I think I would like t have my mom’s. This meal looks like just what I want with all the cold rainy weather we’re having.
I love how everyone is commenting on various meals this reminds them of. I guess it goes to show you how every culture does similar things foodwise.
I have to admit when I saw the photo it looked a bit like corned beef and cabbage. I thought perhaps you were jumping the gun on St. Patrick’s Day. ;-)
I’ve never tried cooking in a pressure cooker, but I’ve heard it’s the best way to make rice. I understand the technology is better than it used to be, so they’re much safer than the old stereotype of exploding dinners. Still, at this point, I’m not sure where I’d put one if I had one!
You know – I can totally dig this – for real. This looks great!
I tried Patsa in Athens. Maybe I needed to have a hangover to fully appreciate it. It is supposed to be minus 22 with the wind chill today so this soup would be SO WELCOME!!!
I’ve got to say that, strangely enough, I enjoy patsa. I don’t eat it often of course–my family makes it every year on Megalo Savvato (the eve of Easter)and honestly I don’t remember a Megalo Savvato when I didn’t eat it, even as a small child.
My Giagia always finished hers off with avgolemono and I don’t know that other recipes call for that but her patsa was for me very good and as my aunt took on that responsibility for the first time last Easter, she did a great job as well.
i have to say–i’ll bet that broth is amazing and i’d be tempted to just guzzle it. sometimes i like to just eat the solid foods out of a soup and leave the broth, but that wouldn’t be the case here!
This looks similar to the “Boiled dinner” everyone in New England cooks, except that the veal is instead corned beef brisket. This looks really nice!
That sounds like a delicious and hearty soup. I wish I had a pressure cooker! :)
Ohhh..I soo need to get a pressure cooker! I hear they work wonders!!!
I love this soup. I am with you on soup as a meal. Meat soup especially. Have never tried a pressure cooker, not that I am afraid, just never thought I would use it. I’m thinking about that now…
Dang…already asked Santa for a knife sharpener.
But I actually signed up for an afternoon lesson on pressure cooking in March! I’ll buy it then!
This reminds me of corned beef & cabbage (aka boiled dinner) I grew up with in the Maritimes. I'll use Avgolemono in mine next time I make it! Cheers!
I’m also usually in the fraidy-cat sector re. pressure cookers… That, and I have NO SPACE in my ridiculous rented kitchen :(
Looks like a wonderful dish though – and once again, I see some connection to dishes like cocido madrileno or tafelspitz which are also wonderful meal-in-a-bowl dishes.