Hortopita Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com
Citizens, my sincere apologies for being offline the last week and a half – things have been heating up on the world domination front and my attention was diverted to an urgent propaganda issue. 🙂
Now that I am returned in fully enthroned glory, allow me to share this wonderful recipe from Greece with you!
As noted on underwoodgardens.com:
Hortopita is a savory pie that is stuffed with horta, or edible wild greens such as dandelions, chard, kale, and lamb’s quarters- commonly called spring greens. Horta directly translates as “grass” in Greek, but refers to about 80 different greens growing all over the country.
It’s delicious alone (sautéed with lemon and olive oil) but obviously much more savory when feta and filo pastry sheets are used. Hortopita is a cousin of Spanakopita—layers of crispy filo dough stuffed with cheesy, leafy spinach greens.
Spanakopita or spinach pie is, of course, a classic Greek savory pastry.
The traditional filling comprises chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions or scallions, egg, and seasoning. The filling is wrapped or layered in phyllo (filo) pastry with butter or olive oil, either in a large pan from which individual servings are cut, or rolled into individual triangular servings.
While the filo-dough recipe is most common, many recipes from the Greek islands call for a crust made of flour and water to form a crunchier, calzone-like exterior in place of the flaky filo dough. The pastry is golden in color when baked, the color often enhanced by butter and egg yolk. Other white, fresh, preferably salted cheeses may also be mixed with, or substituted for, the feta cheese.
It can be served straight from the oven or at room temperature. There is a “fasting”, or vegan, version of spanakopita, eaten during the Great Lent and other religious fasts, and composed of spinach, onions or green onions, other green herbs like dill, parsley or celery, olive oil and a little wheat flour, but without eggs or dairy products; the mixture is oven-baked until crisp. Non-traditional vegan versions are available that typically use tofu instead of cheese.
In rural Greece, smaller amounts of spinach are used, with the missing amount replaced with leeks, chard and sorrel.
Citizens, my version of this classic wild greens recipe is both savory and delicious – I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 3 oz olive oil
- 1 ½ cups onions, finely diced
- 1 ½ cups leeks finely diced - if you are making this in the brief season when ramps are available, by all means use them instead!
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups (packed) dandelion greens, blanched, drained and chopped
- ½ cup (packed) black kale, blanched, drained and chopped
- 1 cup mustard greens, blanched, drained and chopped
- 2 oz. brewed herbal tea, TFD prefers Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea
- 2 ½ tsp. dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
- 4 tbsp. feta cheese
- 2 tbsp. Kefalotyri cheese
- 1 pkg phyllo dough, #10
Instructions
- Place a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 3 oz olive oil to the pan and warm. When hot, add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly translucent (about 8-10 minutes). At this point, add the leeks and a pinch of salt.
- Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are all soft and translucent. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the chopped dandelion greens, mustard greens and kale. Re-season with salt and pepper and stir. Add herb tea and stir.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from stove, fold in the fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the greens to a stainless steel bowl to cool completely. When cool, crumble the cheeses into the mixture and stir to combine well. Taste, add salt, if necessary, and reserve.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Defrost phyllo in refrigerator overnight. Lay one sheet of phyllo on a clean surface and brush lightly with olive oil. Using a sharp paring knife, cut the phyllo down the center so you have two (2) equal sheets.
- Cut each sheet vertically in 2 so you have four (4) sheets of equal width. Repeat one more time so you have eight (8) equal strips, each approximately 1 inch wide.
- Place a small ring mold on a clean surface. Take one strip of phyllo, fold it in half, and lay it across the mold with the mold in the center. Press down to line the mold, allowing the excess phyllo to hang over the edge equally on both sides.
- Lay a second strip of phyllo across the mold, perpendicular to the first, pressing down to make sure that the entire inside of the mold is covered by the phyllo. Spoon the wild greens filling into the mold, gently packing it down until full.
- Enclose the filling in the phyllo by folding the overhanging strips into the center of the mold (one at a time); trim any excess dough. Make small slits in the top and brush with olive oil. Remove from ring mold and place on a cookie sheet.
- Repeat eleven more times with remaining phyllo and filling. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
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