Comfort Food From the Past

The holidays are over and winter seems determined to keep the gardens dormant, despite a recent spate of record-setting warmth. Now is the season for comfort food. I have re-envisioned a recipe from the 1970s, when vegetarian diets were all the rage among counter-culture types. I have also scaled it down to four servings.

The original recipe calls for a crust made with butter and cream cheese. It was never the easiest pastry to handle, and it was seldom possible to make the pie turn out picture-perfect. That problem is circumvented by using any good commercial piecrust.

Note: it has been my experience that this recipe gets rave reviews from even those who claim not to enjoy cooked cabbage.

Russian Vegetable Galette

4 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup sliced onion

3 cups shredded cabbage (approximately)

Dried basil, marjoram, and tarragon

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

Salt and pepper

1 rolled piecrust
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion begins to soften. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is wilted and bright green and the onion is translucent. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl to cool.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and all the mushrooms are darkened and tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the piecrust on the parchment. Spread the cream cheese in a circle in the center of the crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Slice the eggs into rounds and arrange them on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the chopped dill over the eggs.

Place the cooled cabbage and onion mixture over the eggs. Sprinkle with a pinch of each of the dried herbs. Arrange the mushrooms on top, again sprinkling with a pinch of herbs. Season the galette with another pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Fold the edges of the crust in toward the center, crimping and pleating as necessary. The finished galette will be about 8 inches in diameter. A 4-inch circle of filling will be exposed in the center.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until the pie is fragrant and the crust is nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Leftovers should be cooled to room temperature and then stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. The galette reheats perfectly in a warm oven or in the microwave.