Pot Pies

This cold weather makes me crave hearty comfort foods like soup and pot pies. So I pulled out a little gem of a cookbook, Pot Pies by Beatrice Ojakangas, to try a new recipe. I still had a ton of cabbage from a local farmer and had recently picked up some mushrooms on the sale rack at the grocery store. Choosing the recipe was easy, because I had every single ingredient for the Russian Cabbage Pie.

Russian Cabbage Pie

Makes 6 servings

3 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 small head green cabbage, trimmed and finely shredded (about 3 cups)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms. cleaned and sliced

1 recipe lemon pastry

3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

4 hard cooked eggs, sliced

1 tsp dried dill

Lemon Pastry

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, in half inch slices

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Stir the flour and salt together. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir the egg, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the ice water together. Sprinkle the liquid over the flour mixture and mix just until the pastry holds together, adding more water if needed. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 or 3 strokes - just until the dough makes a smooth ball. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or until firm. 

In a large, heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and cabbage, and cook over medium-low heat, turning with a spatula until the cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil, marjoram, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking another 10- to 15 minutes or until soft but not browned. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring over medium heat, until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and fit it into a 9-inch square (or round!) pan. Spread the pastry with the cream ccheese and top with the sliced eggs. Sprinkle with the dill. Top evenly with the cabbage, then top the cabbage with the mushrooms. Roll out the remaining pastry and fit it onto the top of the pie. Moisten and flute the edges to seal. Make a few short slashes for vents. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.