Hortakopita
Hortakopita, the deeply flavourful and intriguing ancestor of (the modern adaptation) Spanakopita. The Greeks, like many ancient cultures, have always been masters of foraging, and Hortakopita (Horta= weeds or wild greens), has been around for thousands of years, a Spring time dish which began with women venturing into the mountain side and gathering fresh wild greens. Some of the most commonly harvested would be Stinging Nettle, Purslane, Sorrel, wild beet greens, wild fennel, Dandelion, wild chervil, parsley, Mediterranean hartwort (a member of the wild carrot family), dill, mint, wild garlic/leek, amaranth, etc depending on what was available and in season regionally. Early versions of this pie were wrapped in Fig leaves ("Phyllo" in Greek is leaf), the use of pastry coming much later, the cultivation of Spinach also began later via Spanish merchants who introduced these easy to grow greens to Greece. As it happens, many of the traditional Greek wild greens also happen to grow here in our Okanagan climate, making it easy to create a similar Hortakopita. This morning I went out to gather stinging nettle, some wild garlic coming up in a corner of my garden, and used beet greens as well as fennel fronds, leeks and parsley. I can't wait until my Sorrel is up in a few weeks to make another more bitter/sour version with dandelion, etc. I wrapped my greens in puff pastry as I'm not a fan of phyllo, and added goat feta, homemade pistachio and hazelnut dukkah on top. Combing through these old recipes, I also found out that in Greece, if you're a vegetarian you are called “Hortofaga" , which literally means "weed eater" and while not a vegetarian, I definitely eat my share of Horta 😊🌱Wild Spring greens for breakfast were not a disappointment #eatwild #stingingnettle #urticadioica #wildgreens #wildharvest #okanaganlife #foraging #wildcrafting #nourishingtraditions #nutrition #getoutsideandplay #breakfast #wildfoodlove #okanaganeats #seasonaleating #inthewoods #earth #gratitude #wildgarlic #alliums #hortakopita #spanakopita #wildforaging #horta #wholefoods #gather #harvest #onmytable #kitchen
Hortakopita
Hortakopita, the deeply flavourful and intriguing ancestor of (the modern adaptation) Spanakopita. The Greeks, like many ancient cultures, have always been masters of foraging, and Hortakopita (Horta= weeds or wild greens), has been around for thousands of years, a Spring time dish which began with women venturing into the mountain side and gathering fresh wild greens. Some of the most commonly harvested would be Stinging Nettle, Purslane, Sorrel, wild beet greens, wild fennel, Dandelion, wild chervil, parsley, Mediterranean hartwort (a member of the wild carrot family), dill, mint, wild garlic/leek, amaranth, etc depending on what was available and in season regionally. Early versions of this pie were wrapped in Fig leaves ("Phyllo" in Greek is leaf), the use of pastry coming much later, the cultivation of Spinach also began later via Spanish merchants who introduced these easy to grow greens to Greece. As it happens, many of the traditional Greek wild greens also happen to grow here in our Okanagan climate, making it easy to create a similar Hortakopita. This morning I went out to gather stinging nettle, some wild garlic coming up in a corner of my garden, and used beet greens as well as fennel fronds, leeks and parsley. I can't wait until my Sorrel is up in a few weeks to make another more bitter/sour version with dandelion, etc. I wrapped my greens in puff pastry as I'm not a fan of phyllo, and added goat feta, homemade pistachio and hazelnut dukkah on top. Combing through these old recipes, I also found out that in Greece, if you're a vegetarian you are called “Hortofaga" , which literally means "weed eater" and while not a vegetarian, I definitely eat my share of Horta 😊🌱Wild Spring greens for breakfast were not a disappointment #eatwild #stingingnettle #urticadioica #wildgreens #wildharvest #okanaganlife #foraging #wildcrafting #nourishingtraditions #nutrition #getoutsideandplay #breakfast #wildfoodlove #okanaganeats #seasonaleating #inthewoods #earth #gratitude #wildgarlic #alliums #hortakopita #spanakopita #wildforaging #horta #wholefoods #gather #harvest #onmytable #kitchen