This recipe/variation is based on Zhengyalov Hats, a specialty of Karabakh region in Armenia. My friend in Russian: “It is not another meal or another traditional flat bread with leafy vegetables recipe. Zhengyalov Hats is a symbol.” She quoted: “The main purpose of its preparation is to unite once again to make a family meal together, to talk about all pressing matters, to exchange news.” Big part of my family is far away. I invite guests to practice it in my kitchen. Teaching this is my way to pay respect to symbolic meaning of Zhengyalov Hats. This flat bread is also part of my (Caucasus Regional Cuisines) tasting menu.
To make Zhengyalov Hats, unleavened dough is rolled as thin as paper, stuffed with a mixture of 10-20 different varieties of wild and garden chopped greens, and cooked on hot . It is very important to create a well-balanced mix of greens and herbs. Most of the greens should be easy on tastebuds, mild — lettuce, spinach, beet leaves, chard, and similar. There should be moderate amount of greens with pronounced flavor, like pungent green onions and garlic or sour sorrel. It requires quite a bit of greens with a bitter taste, such as dandelion or arugula. Cheese and fried onions are sometimes added.
The dough for traditional recipe is “poor” — wheat flour, water, and salt. Some like it enriched with fermented dairy products. I like it with whole milk and egg yolk. Either variation is good.
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