I’m a fool for greens of all varieties. I love small plates, snacks, tapas or bar bites by any name. These Armenian ‘hats’ are a terrific example of something hot, tasty and inexpensive to serve a small or large crowd. However, washing and chopping a mountain of mixed greens is either fun to you—or not.

Once you have washed and spun the greens dry, which means they are still too wet, lay them out on a bath towel for several hours to get really dry or you will have a mushy mess in the food processor. All the greens pictured above produced about eight cups of finely chopped material needed for the recipe. The text advises using a variety of neutral, herbal and sour greens and herbs. I used chard, collards, cilantro, parsley and watercress. A small amount of oil, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes dresses the chopped greens.

As a non-baker who seldom gets out a rolling pin, I found this dough easy to pull together with my hands as instructed to knead four minutes. The big ball rests for 20+ minutes in an oiled bowl covered with a dish towel before dividing it into four pieces and rolling out into 8-inch circles. My little football was not as neat and tidy as the photo in the book but close. Two or three minutes per side on a hot griddle is all it takes to cook them. Slice each hat into three or more pieces and serve immediately.

I was impressed with how bold the flavors were and called one hat more than enough for my dinner. Next time I will make the hats smaller to make one individual serving and offer garlic yogurt or a vinaigrette as a dipping sauce. (This recipe appeared in the New York Times January 1, 2020, in a slightly different version with more greens but not more dough. I followed the recipe in the book. I had greens leftover which I used in a quiche like concoction for breakfast.)

Dough

2/3 cup (160ml) lukewarm water

1 tsp kosher salt

1-1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose flour

Filling

8 cups (440g) finely sliced greens and herbs such as the combination below mixing neutral, herbal and sour greens:

4 cups neutral greens (beet greens, chard, collards, purslane or spinach)

2 cups herbal greens (chervil, cilantro, dill, flat leaf parsley or

tarragon)

2 cups sour greens (dandelion greens, radish tops, sorrel or watercress)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1-1/2 tbs sunflower or any neutral oil

1 tbs lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS