ZHINGYALOV HATS

HOW IT IS MADE

1. 01

   Mix a plain dough

   Bring flour, water and salt together into a soft dough and rest it, covered, for half an hour.

2. 02

   Chop the greens fine

   Use as many kinds as you can find — spinach, chard, sorrel, dill, coriander, beet tops, nettle, purslane. Chop them small and salt them.

3. 03

   Squeeze out the water

   Wait ten minutes, then press the greens hard in your hands. Wet filling steams the bread open.

4. 04

   Fill generously

   Roll a thin round, heap a mountain of greens on it, gather the edges to the centre and flatten gently into a disc.

5. 05

   Bake dry

   Cook on a dry pan over medium heat, four to five minutes a side, until spotted brown. Brush with oil and stack under a cloth.

GET IT RIGHT

• Use as many green varieties as you can gather — the mix is the flavour.
• Salt the greens, wait, then squeeze hard; wet filling bursts the bread.
• Add a spoon of oil to the filling so it stays glossy.
• Cook on a dry pan, no oil, and only oil the bread afterwards.

Variations