Horta (Boiled Wild Greens with Feta sauce)
Posted in Beginner, Boiled, Cretan, Greek Salad recipes, Mainland Greece, Side dishes, Traditional Greek Feta Cheese Recipes, Traditional Greek Taverna Recipes, Vegetarian Originally published on May 15, 2013 Last updated on December 8, 2019 By Eli K. Giannopoulos Cuisine: Greek
Boiled Wild Greens with Feta sauce
Healthy and absolutely delicious! Try out this recipe with our creamy feta sauce on top and be amazed!
Ingredients
- 1.5kg wild greens (53 ounces)
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, cut into stripes
- 1/2 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
For the feta sauce
- 80ml milk (1/4 of a cup)
- 80ml milk cream (1/4 of a cup)
- 300g feta cheese (10.5 ounces)
- 1/2 tbsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions
- Wash the greens thoroughly and drain.
- Into a large saucepan pour the olive oil, add the onions and leeks and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until wilted.
- Add the greens and mix with a wooden spoon. As soon as they become wilted, lower the heat and add 1/2 cup of water.
- With the lid on, simmer for 35 minutes, until the wild greens are boiled.
- In the meantime, prepare the feta sauce. Into a blender add the feta cheese (crushed).
- In a small pot, warm the milk and the milk cream at low heat. Right before it comes to the boil, remove from the stove and let it cool for 1 minute.
- Pour the milk in the blender, along with the herbs and spices and blend, until the sauce becomes smooth.
- Serve the horta at room temperature and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Top with the feta sauce and some grated tomato, if you wish.
Recipe image gallery:
Boiled Wild Greens with Feta sauce
Serves: 
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Beginner
Two questions: what exact species of green plants? you mean to actually go and forage? Can store bought greens be substituted? I am a little hesitant about public foraging since one can never tell if the plants have been chemically treated.
Greeks use a different types of wild greens: from Cardoon, arugula, mustard greens, sorrel, chicory
(dandelion greens), amaranth greens, and others. The easiest to find in the wild in the US is dandelion greens.
I made this last night with just mustard greens and swiss chard, no onions or herbs. Just braised it with a little water, drained it drizzled with healthy amount of very good olive oil and juice of a lemon. It was amazing, if you like greens, and so simple.