Tsigareli Recipe (Corfu Spicy Sauteed Greens)

Where mainland Greek horta is simply boiled and dressed with oil and lemon, Corfu's tsigareli takes the same basic idea of cooked greens and pushes it somewhere sharper and more assertive: a hard, fast saute in plenty of olive oil with garlic and a real amount of chilli, rather than a gentle boil.

It uses whatever greens are good and available, traditionally a mix of wild varieties alongside spinach and chard, and the technique, frying rather than boiling, keeps more bite and colour in the leaves than the softer, more resigned texture of boiled horta.

This is quick, weeknight-speed cooking once the greens are washed, and it is a good showcase for genuinely good olive oil, since there is very little else in the dish to hide behind.

Key preparation steps

1. Wash and roughly chop a mix of hearty greens.
2. Fry garlic and chilli briefly in plenty of olive oil.
3. Add the greens in batches and saute hard until just wilted.
4. Finish with lemon and serve warm.

Choosing the greens

A mix of textures works best: spinach or chard for softness and body, and a more bitter wild green such as dandelion or wild chicory for backbone, if you can find them. Where wild greens are not available, a mix of spinach, chard and curly kale gives a reasonable approximation of the same textural contrast.

Wash thoroughly, since greens carry grit, and roughly chop, keeping tougher stems separate from the more tender leaves so you can add them to the pan at different points.

The technique that separates this from horta

Heat a genuinely generous amount of olive oil in a wide pan, add sliced garlic and a real quantity of chopped fresh or dried chilli, and let it sizzle for thirty seconds before the greens go in. This is a fry, not a boil, and the pan should be properly hot throughout.

Add the tougher stems first, if using, and let them cook for a couple of minutes before adding the more delicate leaves in batches, tossing constantly so everything wilts quickly rather than stewing in its own liquid.

Getting the heat level right

Tsigareli is meant to have real, noticeable heat, more than most Greek cooking asks for, though the exact amount of chilli is a matter of preference. Start with a moderate amount and taste before adding more, since it is easier to add heat than to take it away.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon once off the heat, which brightens the dish and balances the chilli, and serve warm rather than piping hot, since the greens continue to soften slightly as they sit.

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