Hortopita: A Greek Greens-Filled Savory Pie

 Greek nature is full of edible wild greens. Kafkalida (Mediterranean hartwort),  lapatho (rumex), and kafkalithra (tordylium apulum) are some of the 80 different greens that grow all over the country. These wild greens are called horta. Hortopita (or Xortopita) is the name of the Greek savory vegetable pie with greens. 

Hortopita resembles a lot of spanakopita, another famous Greek savory pie. You may also find various hortopita recipes which include spinach as part of the green filling especially if you can not find wild greens. This recipe requires the following ingredients: edible wild greens, fresh onions, olive oil, feta cheese, dill, parsley, leek, endives, sugar, and phyllo dough.  

This hortopita recipe takes 20 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to bake. 

Hortopita: A Greek Vegetable Pie with Greens

Hortopita - Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg  of edible wild greens (variety)
  • 200 g  of fresh onions
  • 375 ml of Greek olive oil
  • 250 g of Greek feta cheese, crumbled  
  • 1 tablespoon of dill, finely chopped 
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley, finely chopped
  • 150 g of leeks, finely chopped
  • 150 g of endives, finely chopped 
  • 1 tbsp. of sugar
  • 10 sheets of filo dough

Hortopita - How to make

  1. Wash and finely cut the wild greens. 
  2. Rub them with salt, wash them again and press them to release their water. Allow them to dry.  
  3. Place them in a large bowl and add the sugar, 250 ml of olive oil, dill, parsley, leek, endives, and feta cheese. Mix well and set aside. 
  4. Take a baking pan (ideally 33-by-23-centimeter) and brush it with some olive oil. 
  5. Start the hortopita by laying a phyllo sheet on all four sides of the baking dish. 
  6. Each sheet should partially cover the bottom of the dish, with the rest hanging over the edge. 
  7. Brush every piece of phyllo that you lay on the dish with oil. 
  8. Place five sheets in the center, brushing each phyllo dough with oil. 
  9. Lay the mixture uniformly over the phyllo dough sheets.  
  10. Lay the remaining phyllo dough sheets on top repeating the same process as above and fold over the overhanging sheets that you started with. 
  11. Cut any excess phyllo away with a sharp knife and use your pastry brush to tuck the phyllo in around the edges of the dish. 
  12. Score the top with a sharp knife, marking the pieces you wish to cut later. Sprinkle with a little water.
  13. Bake in medium heat for 50-60 minutes, until the phyllo gets a golden brown color.
  14. Allow the hortopita to cool down before serving.
If you are looking for a vegan version of this hortopita recipe you can omit the feta cheese from the ingredients. Enjoy!