Greek cuisine is full of wild greens. One of the most popular, which we usually enjoy eating during summer, is the amaranth greens, the “vlita” as we call them here in Greece.

They can be boiled and eaten as a salad but they are also cooked with zucchini in a popular dish that is called “yiachni”. It’s sort of a vegetable stew, very healthy and very easy to make!

Green amaranth and zucchini vegetable stew aka “vlita yiachni”

Ingredients

Yields 4-5 dishes

1 kilo amaranth greens

1 large white onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

3-4 medium sized zucchinis fatly sliced

3 large ripe tomatoes chopped

150 ml esti extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Chop the greens and clean thoroughly.

In a large pot add water and bring to a boil. Add the greens and allow to steam for a few minutes. Empty the boiled greens into a large colander.

In another pot heat over medium heat the olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Don’t let the onion turn brown. Add the sliced zucchinis and sauté for another few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the steamed amaranth greens, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Zucchinis and greens should be tender and sauce thick. If not, cook for another 5 minutes with pot uncovered,

Serve by drizzling with esti extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.