Dandelion Greens

Greek Boiled Greens | Greek Greens Pie | Fave e Cicoria

Storage

Store bunched greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Freezing

Blanch pre-washed (and chopped, if desired) greens in boiling water for 1 minute.  Plunge into an ice water bath to cool. Drain and wring out as much water as possible. Form into convenient serving-size balls. Wrap balls in plastic wrap and freeze in quart or gallon-size freezer bags.

Washing Greens

Fill a large bowl or dishpan with cold water.  Add greens and swirl around vigorously. All the dirt and sand will sink to the bottom.  Lift greens out of basin and into a salad spinner or colander.  Spin greens to dry or drain as best you can and dry on towels. 

Recipes

Horta (Greek Boiled Greens Salad)

• 1-3 bunches greens (dandelions, beet greens, spinach, turnip greens, etc)
• sea salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1-2 lemons 

Bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add washed and chopped greens and boil/steam for 5-10 minutes, until thoroughly cooked. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Toss with the olive oil and lemon juice. Serve hot or at room temperature as a side dish.

Hortopita (Greek Greens Pie)

• 2 bunches dandelion greens (about 4 lbs)
• 2 large bunches chard or other mild greens
• 1 bunch leeks or 1-2 onions
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 bunch spearmint
• 1 bunch dill
• juice of 1-2 lemons
• ½ cup of the best olive oil
• salt and pepper
• pinch of cayenne and nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• ½ lb Greek feta
• 1 package frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
• olive oil for brushing

This is kind of an involved recipe, but it repays you for every second of your time.  It makes a lot, so serve it to a crowd or eat it all week long.  This pie is traditionally made from wild-gathered greens and herbs, so feel free to use any kinds of greens you have, although cabbagey ones like kale don’t work as well.  In the spring it’s great with wild dandelions, nettles, and ramps.  Wash all the greens thoroughly and give them a rough chop.  Blanch in salted water briefly, until they wilt.  It may take a couple of batches.  Drain and squeeze out all liquid when cool.  The wrung-out greens can then be more finely chopped if desired.  Set aside in a large mixing bowl.  Meanwhile, thinly slice the leeks (use tender green parts also) and onion and sauté gently in 4-5 Tbsp of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until they begin to caramelize, 15-20 minutes.  Finely mince the herbs and add to the greens.  When the leeks are ready, add these also and allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring in the rest of the oil, the eggs, lemon, crumbled feta, and other seasonings.   Preheat your oven to 400°.  Pull out the largest baking sheet you have, preferably one with a rim, or use your biggest lasagna pan, and coat it with oil.  One by one, add the phyllo sheets, brushing each with olive oil (this is what makes it crispy).  Halfway through the package, add the greens mixture, spreading it out into an even layer.  Cover with the remaining phyllo as before.  Bake for about 1 hour, until the top turns golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Fave e Cicoria 

• 1 lb dried fava beans (whole, split peeled, or yellow split peas if unavailable)
• 1-3 bunches Dandelion Greens
• Salt 

This dish is a specialty of the region of Puglia, which is the “heel” of the Italian boot.  If using dried fava beans with the peel still attached, soak them overnight in water (peeled split favas and yellow split peas do not require soaking).  The next day, drain the beans, and remove the black node (the part where it attaches to the pod) from each one with a little knife.  For half the beans, slip the skins off by taking the bean between your thumb and fore finger and pressing slightly.  The yellow inner part of the bean will slip right out.  Leave the other half with the skins on, because they will impart their own flavor to the dish.  Return them to soak for the rest of the day, adding 2 tsp. salt and a few bay leaves.

Bring the beans to a boil in water to cover plus one inch and continue to cook over a very low flame until they start to dissolve into a thick puree, adding more water if necessary.  Taste for salt when done and stir vigorously to reduce the beans to a puree.  Meanwhile, take some dandelion greens (cicoria catalogna) and put them on to boil in abundantly salted water.  Boil until done, 10-20 minutes.  Drain and serve side by side in bowls with the fava puree, in beautiful half-moons of green and yellow (cooking the beans with their skins results in a murky color but adds flavor).  Drizzle very good olive oil over everything and enjoy.