Horta ~ Boiled Greens with Garlic
Horta is a classic Greek dish of boiled greens dressed with garlic-infused olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Here it sticks true to tradition yet gets a little easy elegance from chef Theo A. Michaels.
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 18 ounces any young leafy greens, such as dandelion greens, kale, turnip tops, collard, and/or cabbage
- 14 ounces rainbow Swiss chard
- 9 ounces white Belgian endive or chicory
- A large handful of flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, warm about 1/3 cup of the oil along with the sliced garlic just long enough for the garlic to infuse the oil, 3 to 5 minutes. Take care not to let the garlic turn golden.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the remaining oil.
- Trim any very thick stalks from the young greens and Swiss chard. Let the rest of the stalks and the leaves whole. Trim the root end from the Belgian endive and toss them in the compost. Quarter each endive lengthways.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and drop in the young greens and chard and simmer until the stalks are soft but not mushy, 3 1/2 to 8 minutes, depending on how sturdy your greens.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you’d like to use some of the thick stalks, add them to the boiling water about 2 minutes before the rest of the greens.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the greens to a colander to drain. Add the whole sprigs of flat-leaf parsley and chicory to the same water and simmer for about 3 minutes before transferring to the colander.
- In a large serving bowl, gently combine the cooked greens, the garlic-infused oil, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Sodium: 173mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g