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Afarar
Afarar: thin Lezgin pie from Quba stuffed with wild herbs and cottage cheese
AzerbaijaniIn the mountain villages around Quba and Qusar, where many Lezgin families live, spring brings armfuls of nettles, sorrel, wild garlic and orache, and the first thing made with them is afarar: two very thin sheets of dough enclosing a filling of chopped herbs mixed with cottage cheese, cooked on a hot griddle or saj and brushed with butter. A common mistake is using wet herbs, which steam the dough and make it tear. Chef's tip: wilt the herbs in a dry pan for a minute and squeeze them, then mix with the cheese only just before filling. Check that your cottage cheese uses no animal rennet.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 12 ½ oz plain flourplus extra
- ¾ cup warm water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 14 oz mixed greens: nettles, sorrel, spinach, wild garlicwashed and chopped
- 1 oz fresh coriander and dillchopped
- 4 spring onionschopped
- 7 oz cottage cheesedrained
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
To finish
- 1 ¾ oz buttermelted
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 12 ½ oz plain flour, ½ tsp salt, ¾ cup warm water and 1 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 6 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
6 minStep 2: Wilt 14 oz mixed greens: nettles, sorrel, spinach, wild garlic in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Wearing gloves if you use nettles, squeeze dry. Common mistake: leaving them wet; the dough tears.
2 minStep 3: Mix the greens with 1 oz fresh coriander and dill, 4 spring onions, 7 oz cottage cheese, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
Step 4: Divide dough into 6. Roll two pieces into very thin 30 cm circles. Spread a third of the filling over one, cover with the other and press the edges to seal.
Step 5: Cook on a hot dry griddle or large frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side, until spotted brown.
8 minStep 6: Brush with 1 ¾ oz butter and stack. Make the rest the same way, cut into wedges and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does afarar take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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