flipCabbage and egg *pirog*
Cabbage and egg *pirog*
Why this dish? The *pirog* is the emblematic pie of all Russian tables, from family meals to grand court feasts. Under Elizabeth, these golden pies opened the *zakouski* services or accompanied soups; their cabbage and egg filling is one of the oldest and most popular in Russia.
A large pie of golden leavened dough, filled with a melting braised cabbage and hard-boiled egg stuffing. Sliced like a tart, with a soft crust and comforting heart.
Look at this beautiful golden *pirog* brought steaming: the crust cracks, and beneath melts the braised cabbage mixed with eggs. At my table it is served at the start of the meal, with salted items and a glass of vodka, to whet the appetite. It is a dish from home, old as Russia — and I love it as much as the sweet entremets my French pastry chefs bring me.
- •Leavened dough with sourdough — enough to line a large dish (envelope)
- •Fresh cabbage — one head (filling)
- •Hard-boiled eggs — several (filling, binder)
- •Butter — generously (braising cabbage)
- •Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- •Dill — a bunch (herb)
- •Egg for glazing — one (glaze)
Cabbage and egg *pirog*
A large pie of golden leavened dough, filled with a melting braised cabbage and hard-boiled egg stuffing. Sliced like a tart, with a soft crust and comforting heart.
Why this dish? The *pirog* is the emblematic pie of all Russian tables, from family meals to grand court feasts. Under Elizabeth, these golden pies opened the *zakouski* services or accompanied soups; their cabbage and egg filling is one of the oldest and most popular in Russia.
Look at this beautiful golden *pirog* brought steaming: the crust cracks, and beneath melts the braised cabbage mixed with eggs. At my table it is served at the start of the meal, with salted items and a glass of vodka, to whet the appetite. It is a dish from home, old as Russia — and I love it as much as the sweet entremets my French pastry chefs bring me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Leavened dough with sourdough — enough to line a large dish (envelope)
- Fresh cabbage — one head (filling)
- Hard-boiled eggs — several (filling, binder)
- Butter — generously (braising cabbage)
- Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- Dill — a bunch (herb)
- Egg for glazing — one (glaze)
Ingredients
- Leavened dough (250 g flour, 7 g yeast, 150 ml warm milk, 30 g butter, salt) — 1 ball (envelope)
- Green cabbage — 500 g, shredded (filling)
- Hard-boiled eggs — 3 (filling)
- Butter — 50 g (braising)
- Onion — 1, sliced (aromatic)
- Chopped dill — 2 tbsp (herb)
- Beaten egg — 1 (glaze)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Prepare the leavened dough: knead, let rise 1 hour in a warm place until doubled.
- Melt butter, braise onion then shredded cabbage covered for 20 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper, let cool.
- Mix cabbage with mashed hard-boiled eggs and dill.
- Roll out two-thirds of the dough into a dish, fill, cover with remaining dough, seal edges. Cut a steam vent.
- Brush with beaten egg and bake at 190°C for about 35 minutes, until golden. Serve warm, sliced.
How it was made : *Pirogi* were baked in the Russian oven after the bread, using the falling heat. The filling varied with seasons and the Orthodox calendar: cabbage, buckwheat, mushrooms, or fish on lean days, meat on fat days. The large elongated *pirog* was a marker of celebration and hospitality.
The contemporary twist : Braid the top dough into a wheat sheaf and sprinkle with caraway seeds; serve in individual portions for a family *zakouski* buffet.
Elizabeth I of Russia · Charactorium
