Yia-Yia’s Horta (Greens Greek Style)

Serves 4

These recipes are so basic that I almost didn’t include them in the book. But then I thought about all the recipes my great-grandmother knew that I never learned because she thought they were too obvious to bother teaching. The know-how of so many excellent home cooks has been lost because nobody wrote it down. Each generation expected the next to learn what they knew as they had learned it, but recent generations were just trying to leave the past behind and didn’t pass their knowledge on.

There are two recipes for leafy greens here: one is Yia-Yia’s (my great-grandmother’s) version, and one is a variation that I use just as often. They are methods more than recipes, and I encourage you to experiment and come up with your own variations. But first, here is how we liked our horta, our wild spring greens, when we were four generations of women living between an ocean and a park:

• 1 large bunch dandelion, mustard, or any other leafy greens
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (more is good, too)
  
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 1 tablespoon homemade vinegar if you’re keeping it local)
  
• Salt
  

1. Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the greens a little at a time, stirring them down into the liquid as they wilt. Once they are all wilted, let them simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the greens are tender, turn off the heat.

2. Lift the greens out with tongs and place in a heap on a plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the greens and stir in the garlic. Add salt to taste. Drizzle some good quality extra-virgin olive oil on top. Serve at room temperature.

*My Grandma Nea (95 at the time of this writing) just called to remind me that she always drinks the cooking liquid because it is good for you.