A bowl of sour cream, often used to make cabbage pie.
Cabbage pie is primarily a Russian invention, but it can be found in different versions as far away as Greece. Although traditionally prepared as a vegetarian meal to celebrate the Russian cabbage harvest festival of Kapustnik, which literally translates to “cabbage pie,” the filling can also be stuffed with sausage or ground beef. In all, it’s loaded with cabbage, onion, carrots, and a hard-boiled egg, often salted, and then wrapped in a pie crust that’s baked until crumbly and golden brown.
Marjoram, which is often included in cabbage pie.
The dough for the cabbage pie crust can be purchased pre-made in stores. A phyllo dough will work best. If chefs choose to make their own, they will do so with a combination of flour, oil, butter, water, and equal parts salt and sugar. A pie crust recipe should be consulted for exact measurements.
After stretching the dough in the bottom of a greased pie pan, it’s time to make the filling. This involves sauteing chopped onions, carrots, and cabbage in a hot, oiled pan until caramelized. Many chefs use leftover pickled cabbage from sauerkraut. Hard-boiled eggs should be cooked simultaneously in another pot of boiling water, as they are another traditional part of cabbage pie. After cutting them into pieces, the eggs are added to the vegetables, along with a little salt, pepper, tarragon, basil, marjoram, and occasionally a little sour cream and tomato paste. Mushrooms are another common addition.
Hard-boiled eggs are a traditional part of coleslaw pie.
When the vegetables are almost cooked, they are placed in the pie plate and then covered with another open circle of dough. Many chefs recommend baking cabbage cake at two different temperatures. They start at 350°F (about 180°C) for half an hour and then reduce the heat to about 250°F (about 120°C) for another 20 to 30 minutes. The resulting pie should have a dark brown crust that is crisp but not burnt.
The Russian festival of Kapustnik celebrates cabbage pie.
The Russian festival of Kapustnik is not just about cabbage pie. It is an excuse for a variety of cultural activities, from theater productions to city dances. Often meat eaters are included with sausages or ground beef added to pies.
Greece has long been the home of a different kind of cabbage pie. The version from that country includes the characteristic feta cheese of Greece. It also replaces many of the Russian spices with grated dill and one or more varieties of native olives, pitted of course, for safety reasons.