Horta: Greek Wild Greens with Olive Oil and Lemon

5 from 4 votes

Mixed wild greens cooked Greek style: boiled until just tender and served with extra virgin olive oil and lemon.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: horta recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 51kcal

Cost: 2

1 lb Fresh, young wild greens like dandelions, nettles, purslane and fennel greens
1 gal Water for boiling the greens
3 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 whole lemon
½ teaspoon Finishing salt, to taste Maldon salt, Faulk salt, or HImalayan pink salt are good options

Soak the freshly picked greens in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to refresh them.
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large pot with a lid.
Add the greens, put the lid on and bring the pot back to boil.
Remove the lid cook the greens for 60 seconds, stirring to make sure they're all wilted.
Remove one of the greens and taste it. Some greens may cook very quick, some may take longer. When it's tender and tastes good to you, drain the greens in a colander.
Allow the greens to drain naturally for a minute, turning them over in the colander.
Remove the greens to a wide pre-heated serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Serve horta with lemon wedges and allow guests to sprinkle the finishing salt on to their taste.

Use a mix of young, tender wild greens picked before the plants make flowers.
It's important to cook the greens at a rapid boil until they're tender and taste good to you for the best texture.
Some plants will take longer to become tender than others.
Ideally you'll use a blend of foraged plants but mixed leafy greens from a farmers market work in a pinch.