Home of edible weed walks in Melbourne, and the publication:
The Weed Forager's Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia

Tag: dandelion

Hortopita (Weedy Spanakopita)

Makes 8 small slices

About 10 cups chopped fresh weeds such as dandelion, fat hen, mallow, nettle and sow thistle
1 cup of oxalis leaves if they are in season. If not, use French sorrel or add a squeeze of lemon juice to the greens while they are cooking.
1 cup finely sliced leek
¾ cup finely chopped angle onion if it is in season. If not, use spring onion.
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fennel
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
120 grams crumbled Greek feta
1 egg
Salt and pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 sheets of filo pastry
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 180° C.
2. Wash and chop all the greens and dry them well.
3. Heat one or two teaspoons of the oil in a big pot on low heat. Add the greens and stir until wilted and any liquid has evaporated. Place them in a colander to drain and cool.
4. Cook the leeks in the pan with a drizzle of oil until they are soft.
5. Squeeze the liquids out of the greens with your hands (you can keep these to use as stock if you like). Put the greens in a large bowl, and add in the cooked leeks.
6. In a small bowl beat the egg. Then add the crumbled feta and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add to the greens and mix well.
7. Brush a baking dish that’s about 20cm x 20cm with olive oil.
8. Unfold a sheet of filo pastry and cut it in half. Place it in the baking dish. You’ll need to scrunch it a bit to make it fit – which is a good thing because it gives the layers their crunchy texture. Keep adding sheets of pastry, brushing oil onto each sheet as you go. Stop when you have six sheets.
9. Empty the greens mixture into the baking dish, and spread it evenly over the pastry.
10. Cover the greens with 6 more layers of filo pastry using the same technique as before. After placing the last pastry sheet, brush it with oil, and sprinkle it with a little bit of water and the sesame or poppy seeds
11. Using a knife, cut partly into the top filo layers to mark out eight pieces. Don’t cut all the way through!
12. Bake in the bottom half of the oven for about 35 minutes. Then move it to the floor of the oven for another 10 minutes to get the crust really crunchy.

The Greek word for spinach is spanaki (σπανάκι) and hortopita’s more famous cousin spanakopita simply means ‘spinach pie’. The Greek for mixed (usually wild) greens is horta (χόρτα) and so hortopita just means ‘wild weeds pie’.

This recipe is for a small pie. If you want leftovers, double the quantities and use a dish of about 30cm x 50cm, as this will fit a whole sheet of filo pastry. The flavours of the wild greens are fabulously strong in this recipe, but you can find a milder, more kid-friendly version in our upcoming kids’ foraging book (along with lots of other weedy recipes for kids to try).

Dandelion, Pear and Walnut Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 ripe but still firm pear or a crisp, tart red or pink apple
½ cup walnuts
4 spring onions
1 cup of gently-compressed dandelion greens

Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

  1. Lightly toast walnuts and allow to fully cool.
  2. Make the dressing.
  3. Cut the pear into centimeter-wide wedges. (If using apple, also then cut the wedges into sections about a half a centimeter wide). Put them into your salad bowl and toss in a little of the dressing to prevent browning.
  4. Finely chop the spring onion, then wash and dry the dandelion greens and chop them roughly across the grain. Add both to the salad bowl.
  5. Add the walnuts and the rest of the dressing and mix before serving.

Southern-Italian Dandelion Salad

Serves 2

1 cup of gently-compressed dandelion greens
4 eggs, hardboiled until yolks are firm but still tender
2 thick slices of good quality bread – stale is best

Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
1 clove crushed garlic
salt and pepper

1. Wash and dry the dandelion greens, then chop them roughly across the grain

nice dandy leaves
remove the stem
chop against the grain

2. Peel the eggs and cut them into halves or quarters.
3. Tear or cut the bread into chunks and toast under a griller or in a tray in the oven until golden brown and crunchy.
4. Make your dressing.
5. Assemble all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

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