The Right Way to Make Greek Horta

[nadellii]

Okay, so I have been making my own Horta and something is off. I basically use greens like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard (since it is winter and that is all I can find right now).

Anyway, I have had Horta in Greece and something is a bit off with my version. Versions in Greece seem softer and a bit more flavorful. So, I tried to boil my greens more to get them soft and that didn't solve the issue. They just started to fall apart.

Any insights as to what I could be doing wrong?

 

[Luana]

If you're not including olive oil and lemon juice at the end when serving, you may want to try that.

 

[nadellii]

If you're not including olive oil and lemon juice at the end when serving, you may want to try that.

I was only doing it about half the time. I think I will try finding more flavorful lemons and see if that helps. Food in Greece generally seems to be a lot fresher. Thank you!

 

[k_tsoukalas]

I agree, you need olive oil. The greens you choose should be firm, too. For example, regular spinach works better than baby spinach. To get it to be like Greece, try making it with a mix of greens like adult spinach, escarole, kale, dandelion, etc. In Greece they pretty much use what they have and can find easily.

 

[PemiKanavos]

Unfortunately the green we eat in Greece are very different than the ones we find outside of Greece. And I’m not referring to spinach, I’m referring to dandelion greens and amaranth. They seem to me to be more tender and flavorful in Greece than outside.
Olive oil and plenty of it as well as lemon juice is a must. Oh and don’t forget the salt.