Horta (Boiled Leafy Greens)
Horta is a traditional Greek side dish that consists of lightly-boiled leafy greens seasoned and served with lemon, vinegar and olive oil. Amaranth leaves (Vleeta), chicory, wild dandelion, or mustard leaves are usually used to make horta.
Horta (spelled HOR-tah) can be eaten as a side for hearty meat or fish dishes, or on its own as a light appetizer.
Horta (Boiled Leafy Greens)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 pounds horta (wild dandelion greens) washed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 2 tbsp lemon Juice to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
How to prepare the salad:
- Pick through your horta and remove any leaves which are brown or discoloured.
- Remove any roots, and excess dirt. Next, carefully wash your horta until is very clear.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water (about half a teaspoon per quart) to a boil and add the greens, making sure they are fully submerged. When you are boiling horta boil it with a lot of water. Although the greens will lessen in volume make sure they are boiled in a lot of water. The water can be used to drink. Like tea or let it go cold.
- Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for approximately 5 – 20 minutes, until the horta are tender. Every 5 minutes or so, stir the horta around in the pot.
- Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and retain the green color. Squeeze out any remaining water.
- In a large bowl, whisk the together the oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add the greens and toss to combine.
- Right before you are planning to serve your horta, gently drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. You can add salt to taste at this point as well,
- Serve at room temperature in shallow bowls with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
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