Hortopita with Dandelion Greens

The following is another contribution from Peg about a lovely meal she recently had with friends. Wish my friends were as "foodie" as hers! The recipe is not Italian, but from a Mediterranean neighbor...

Afternoon Delight

Peter and I recently had the pleasure of joining our neighbor Lars and some friends from the other side of the Willamette Valley (we live on the east they on the west) for a tour of his vineyard and farm. We started the tour in his wine cellar (which Peter calls ‘the bunker’ because it is a small concrete fortress bermed into the side of a hill). A visit to Lars’ cellar always means a tasting of the developing wines from his barrels. It was a perfect warm up and lightened my spirit enough to be agreeable about braving the wet and chilly afternoon. We continued the tour with a nod to the sheep and chickens and a discussion of his very organized composting system. Since we were all gardeners, it was a relevant topic and exciting to see the beautiful black moist soil that resulted from his efforts.

Finally when the rain began in earnest, we retreated to the house to enjoy our potluck lunch. Now you know you are mingling with foodie greatness when there is nothing ordinary set out on the communal table. Here is a run down of what we enjoyed that afternoon: Homemade Swedish rye bread and farm fresh egg salad with capers; Hortopita, which is a Greek phyllo and dandelion savory pastry; homemade salami (yes, really!) and homemade cheese; homemade hummus; fennel chutney; a big mixed salad; and a trio of homemade cookies—all washed down by various wines and a delicious nettle tea.

I asked Lars to share his bread recipe as it was so dense, moist and tasty. But since he is Swedish and works from the metric system, I had to adjust the recipe to our American standard system. So, before sharing it, I will try it out and fine tune it if needed.

I also asked my friend Charlene to share her recipe for the Hortopita which was amazing not only because it was delectable, but also because she gathered the 3 pounds of wild dandelions to make it with! Try to imagine what a mound of greens that is, and if you’ve ever even tried to dig those tenacious weeds out of your garden or lawn, you will appreciate the amazing effort it would take to gather and clean that volume.

The Hortopita is similar to the northern Italian Torta Verde (green tart) in that it has a filling of greens, but rather than phyllo, the pastry surrounding it is more of a buttery pie crust. Based on the ingredients, Charlene’s version is really quite healthy and I hope to try it soon, though honestly I will have to substitute something for the dandelions—I’m not that ambitious! I was inspired enough to try my own savory pastry using ingredients I had on hand, so I will share that recipe as well since it was a success.

Charlene's Hortopita

3 lbs blanched and wrung out dandelion greens, chopped

3 leeks and 3 shallots sautéed in olive oil till beginning to caramelize

Can add chopped parsley, dill, I had some dried dill

After the above has cooled, add:

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt & Pepper

1 lb cubed feta

2 eggs (I used one duck egg, one chicken egg)

Pinch cayenne

Pinch nutmeg

Layer in phyllo dough (I used the organic spelt phyllo), using about one half cup olive oil to brush on between the layers.  I put on the bottom 3 or 4 sheets, then a glob of the horta, spread to edge, then 3 or 4 sheets phyllo, one more glob horta, spread to the edge, then top with 3-4 sheets, fold over edges, crimp and brush with olive oil.

Bake 400 for one hour, until browned on top.  

The amount in this recipe would be enough for a big lasagne pan, or full sized cookie sheet.  I had some of the horta left over from the smaller deep dish pizza dish I used.