Vleeta (Amaranth) greens salad

Well, I will try to explain the best I can about this kind of leafy greens that we boil and usually eat as a salad. In Greece we have so many different kind of edible leafy greens, collectively known as "Horta". Many of them grow wild in the countryside and it is such a common scene to see women and even men (mainly older generations nowadays) with an overused knife and a plastic bag in hand bending over and trying to spot these nutritious greens around the fields..... Horta can be sweet in taste, tart or even bitter, and some are wonderfully aromatic. Apart from the greens collected from the hills and mountains, there are also some that grow as weeds among the cultivated crops. And since we never really had "official" knowledge in school books about the horta, what we know about them (names and uses for each one) come orally from generation to generation... We learned how the various greens should be cooked and which ones should be combined in stews and pies. We usually blanch different kinds of horta together, and eat them as a salad or a side dish, simply dressed with fresh lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil. My mother was loving doing it and although I've been there watching her I never really managed to spot the "right" and safe ones for consuming, so I never really have gathered "horta" myself.  Greeks used to eat "horta" since the ancient times (they knew better than us Neo-Greeks...). Later, people who were living in the countryside were rather poor and had little else to eat, they could not afford to have meat often (because they had to sell it and earn money out of it), so the "horta" was an easy and cheap meal and they discovered that they could cook them in many different ways and not just as a salad. They had to complement their frugal menu of bread, cheese, olives, and olive oil.... These days though most city people can buy horta from the weekly farmers’ open markets and they have become quite expensive believe it or not! One very popular kind of "horta" is the "Vleeta" and here is how they look, fresh and uncooked, after they are thoroughly washed and cleaned from the stems

The recipe that follows is one of the most tasty dishes (and my favourite type of "horta") with leafy greens and it is an excellent way to accompany your meat or fish or to have as a main salad. After some research in the Internet I found out that in English they are called "Amaranth Greens" or "red spinach" and if you spot them in a market (only during the Summer months though) don't hesitate to try them out. It is very easy to prepare them and if they are really fresh and in season it doesn't take long to cook. For those who can't find them and might visit Greece at some point please, if it is not during June, July or August, say "no" to the restaurant people who will tell you that they have "fresh vleeta" on their menu.... They are lying and you will get disappointed from the taste...

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1Kg of vleeta (after cutting off the hard stems, but keeping the tender ones on)
good quality of olive oil
salt
lemon juice or plain vinegar

Method:
Fill the sink with plenty of water and wash the vleeta very thoroughly. Take the leaves off the stems and keep the stems that are thin and tender.

In a large and tall saucepan put enough water to cover the 3/4 of the pan. Let it come to the boil in medium to high heat and start adding the vleeta in batches, pressing them at the same time with a wooden spoon so to get softer and sink into the water. When all the vleeta are in the saucepan reduce the heat to medium and let them boil with the pan uncovered for about 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the vleeta into a colander and let them drain well. At this point you can put them in a food container, let them cool down and keep in the fridge. They can stay fresh for 2-3 days.

If you want to consume them the same day, after they have drained and settled to room temperature you can put them in a big salad bowl.

Drizzle over with plenty of vinegar (the most common preference, otherwise lemon juice) plenty of olive oil and salt and serve as a salad or a side dish for fish or meat.

Simple as that!!!!