Green pockets
MAKES 8
These green pockets are the ultimate fast food. They are our version of gozleme and we’ve been making them for years. If it’s the weekend we’ll make the simple yoghurt dough, but on a weeknight we’ll pick up a pack of Greek pitas (the thicker, doughy sort) or souvlaki bread on the way home from work. It is truly a 15-minute meal.
100 gm (2 cups) very thinly sliced green leaves, such as English or baby spinach, silverbeet, kale or rocket ⅓ cup finely chopped soft herbs, such as mint, dill or parsley
200 gm cheese, such as ricotta, crumbled feta, grated haloumi or mozzarella
70 gm (⅔ cup) grated parmesan 100 ml olive oil
Lemon wedges, to serve SPICED ONION (OPTIONAL)
½ small onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried herbs, such as oregano, mint or basil SIMPLE YOGHURT DOUGH
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
250 gm (1 cup) Greek-style
yoghurt
375 gm (2½ cups) plain flour,
plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 Combine green leaves and herbs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine cheeses with ½ tsp salt. You can leave the mixture here and it will be yummy and family friendly, but if you want to take it up a notch, it’s worth the extra 5 minutes to make the spiced onion.
2 For spiced onion, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, season to taste and set aside.
3 For yoghurt dough, combine oil, vinegar and yoghurt in a bowl and mix well. Sift over flour and bicarbonate of soda, and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until very smooth. Divide dough into 8 equal balls and place under a damp tea towel. Working with one ball at time, roll out into 15cm rounds.
4 Spread 2 tbsp cheese mixture over half of each dough round (or pita bread, if using) and scatter 2-3 tsp of the spiced onion mixture (if using) on top. Add ½ cup of the greens mixture, then fold the dough over to form a semi-circle, pinching the edges to seal. If using pita, wet your hands and dampen the edges of each pita and seal as best as you can. 5 Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry pockets, in batches until golden brown (2-3 minutes each side). You can also brush each pocket with olive oil and grill them on the barbecue. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a salad if you can be bothered, but there are so many greens in the pockets, you hardly need to.
Combinations we like
• Kale, parsley, feta and chilli flakes
• Rocket, mint, haloumi and lemon zest or chopped preserved lemon rind
• Baby spinach, mozzarella, basil and parmesan
“These green pockets are our version of gozleme. We’ve been making them for years.”