Russian Cabbage Pie

We journey to Russia for this month’s Food of the World party. When researching the recipes from Russia I expected to come across a lot of potato and cabbage recipes or maybe something with sour cream and beets but when I saw the cabbage pie I knew what I was going to make. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has browsed the website; what’s one more terrific cabbage recipe? This one has an incredible flavor from the addition of dill and sesame seeds. It smelled so good when I pulled it out of the oven I could hardly wait to cut a slice.

Did the Russians invent Impossible Pie?

The way this recipe is assembled reminds me a little of those impossible Bisquick pies they used to make back in the day. You’ve probably seen a recipe somewhere. You put some hamburger in the bottom of a pie plate and cover it with a batter made from the Bisquick and as it bakes the crust forms. That’s pretty much what happens here. The thickness of the crust depends on the amount of cabbage you use. You can eat cabbage pie warm or at room temperature. The cabbage will keep its tender texture as a next day leftover, but if you’re also a family of cabbage lovers, it won’t last much longer than that.

How to purchase cabbage

Look for heads that are compact and feel heavy for their size. Some bruising/discoloration on the outside leaves is acceptable. They are typically discarded, anyway. Store someplace cool, typically the crisper drawer of your fridge, but a cool cellar or porch is an adequate temporary shelter as long as the head hasn’t been cut.

Purchasing cabbage can be interesting when there’s only two people in the household. An entire head of cabbage is too large but for a recipe like this one a half a head might be too small. Fortunately after I explained what I was looking for, the ladies at the market chose a variety of cabbage called berza. It has a longer shape and looser head than the standard cabbages we’re used to. By the time I trimmed it I had close to four cups of cabbage– more than the original recipe called for, but it cooks down. Any cabbage you have available would work. A coleslaw mix with red and green cabbage and carrots would make a nice variation, too.

As usual I turned to Pinterest for the my research and one website, Lea’s Cooking, kept popping up under the Russian recipes. She hasn’t posted in a while but in addition to her Cabbage Pie, she has over 100 Russian recipes listed, including many gorgeous cakes and pastries. It’s worth dropping by to see if anything catches your fancy.

Russian Cabbage Pie

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Course: Appetizer, Main, Side Dish

Cuisine: Eastern Europe, Russian

Servings: 0

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 cups of shredded cabbage
• 1 medium onion cut into petals
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped dill
• sesame seeds for garnish
• chives or green onion for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Steam/saute the onions in a small amount of olive oil until softened.
• Meanwhile core the cabbage and cut or shred the leaves into thin strips. Toss the cabbage with the salt in a large mixing bowl and crush it with your hands.
• Stir in the onions and dill. Transfer the vegetables to a prepared 9" pie plate (I used cooking spray)
• Beat the eggs, then stir in the sour cream and mayonnaise. Add the flour and baking powder and mix to form a batter.
• Pour over top the cabbage and onions. I stirred mine all together, but in the original recipe it looks like she spread the batter over the top.
• Garnish with the chives and sesame seeds.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden.

Notes

Fresh dill will make a big difference to the flavor of your cabbage pie, but if you can't find any, substitute 2 tablespoons of dried dill leaves.

Like this recipe?Be sure to Pin It for later!

The color of this pie with the light green of the cabbage leaves and the dark green from the dill and the chives is wonderful. My only regret is I did not increase the recipe by half because my pie looks a little lost in my large round dish.

When I posted a photo on Instagram I got a note back from @babaganoushblog that her babushka used to make this cabbage pie all the time. It made me glad that I picked this particular Russian recipe because someone’s comfort food turned out to be my delicious discovery.

A photo posted by LydiaF1963 (@lydiaf1963) on Feb 20, 2016 at 3:36am PST

Make sure to stop by the Food of The World Party to see what other Russian delicacies my fellow bloggers have cooked up for the month. You won’t be sorry. UPDATE 2020: Unfortunately the Food of the World Party no longer exists. I enjoyed participating while it lasted. If you click on the Food of the World tag below you’ll see other recipes I made while exploring world cuisine.

You may also like:

Borscht