How to cook: Christmas tree with cheese and egg
I came across a recipe with an interesting name: yoca. Does it sound unusual? It's the name of an Armenian appetizer, lava with cheese and eggs. It's very quick and easy to make, and it turns out delicious, beautiful and filling! Rum triangles filled with cheese and eggs are perfect to take to the village, to work or to give to the kids at school.
I deliberately searched for round loaves. But the pies at the store were only rectangular, so I didn't use pies like in the original yoki recipe, but tortillas! These are also thin, flat breads made from sourdough dough without the sourdough starter and made from wheat or cornmeal. So the result is not just an Armenian yoke, but also a little bit Mexican! You can also use a square pie... but I really liked this way of wrapping it.
The cheesy flatbread went quickly - for some reason things like pancakes, flatbreads and fried scones are very popular - and I have a feeling we've got another favourite dish that we'd like to repeat. And you know what? Yoka has now become one of our favorite snacks when we need something quick for school or the holidays. I've made it 5 times :) Try this recipe!
Ingredients:
For 4 servings:
The diameter of the bread is about 20 cm.
4 thin round loaves (pita bread or tortilla),
4 small eggs,
About 150 grams of cheese,
Pie (pita bread, pie or tortilla), about 150 pieces of pie, some pie or tortilla, some pie, some small pieces of bread, some pie or tortilla,
butter or vegetable oil,
dill, green parsley.
The eggs should be small, as large eggs laid flat on flat bread will run out at the edges. However, this is easily solved: do not beat a large egg on the tortilla, but beat it in a bowl with a fork, then spread half of the egg on the tortilla. I need 4 eggs for 8 tortillas. I recommend washing the eggshells with soap and water. Use a hard cheese for the filling; I think brie would be good too! You can add sliced ham, cooked meat.
How to bake:
Crack an egg into the centre of the loaf. Spread it all over with a fork, just around the edges. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese on top, mixed with chopped herbs. Season with salt and sprinkle with pepper. You can also add pieces of ham. Now fold the flat bread into a triangular envelope, fold the edges in half and press down slightly. Meanwhile, the oil is already heated in a pan.
In the original recipe it is recommended to use oil. Because of the unusual shape of the yoki, it does not fill the whole pan and the oil starts to burn in the places where it is exposed. The pan must be washed each time the yoki is cooked. When fried in sunflower oil, it doesn't burn as badly, so I prefer the vegetable oil version. Place the yoki in a pan of hot oil, seam side down. Fry them for a few minutes over medium heat - until they are crispy on the underside. Then turn the yoku over with a spatula and fry the other side in the same way.
Place on a plate and leave to cool slightly. Yoku with egg and cheese is delicious when it's hot! The next day (if you have any left!) you can reheat the bread in the microwave or on the stove. You can also eat it cold. But a square pie is green because it's spinach:
So you can make such delicious flatbreads from a flat, not round, pie! It's just the envelopes that are not triangular, but rectangular. I loved Yoki's recipe! It's so simple and delicious! Now I'm thinking of trying to make yoku with cottage cheese? A savory version with spices and a sweet version with sultanas? What about the cooked apples? I'll let you know when I try it!
