Cabbage Pirozhki Recipes

CABBAGE PIROZHKI

Steps:

• 1. Original recipe intro: by MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN JAN. 27, 2014. "Of all the different fillings for the small oval Russian pies called pirozhki, cabbage has always been my favorite. The filling is a simple mixture of onions and cabbage, cooked in butter (traditionally in much more than I use here), until soft and sweet but not browned, then seasoned with dill, salt and pepper, and enriched with chopped hard-boiled eggs. I sometimes add a little ricotta to the mix. Traditional pirozhki dough is a rich pastry made with butter and sour cream. I tried my yeasted whole wheat olive oil pastry and it worked beautifully."
• 2. Mix up the pastry dough and while it is rising, make the filling.
• 3. Heat butter over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in dill, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and pepper. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. If using ricotta you can either stir it into the cabbage or place a teaspoon on each round of dough before topping with the cabbage mixture.
• 4. When the dough is ready, pinch off 24 equal pieces, approximately 20 grams each, and roll each one into a small ball by cupping your hand over it and gently rolling it against your work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• 5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. One by one, roll each ball of dough to a thin round, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. If you are using ricotta and have not mixed it into the cabbage, place a teaspoon on each round and top with a tablespoon (heaped) of the cabbage. Otherwise just top each round with a heaped tablespoon of the cabbage mixture. Fold over the round and pinch the edges of the dough together, then tuck in the ends and gently shape each pirozhok into an oval (rather than a half-moon). Place on the parchment-covered baking sheet, seam side down. You should get 12 on each sheet. After you have finished shaping the first 12, cover lightly with plastic and place in a warm place to rise for 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and continue shaping the pirozhki. Cover the second batch with plastic and let rise for 40 to 45 minutes.
• 6. Brush pirozhki with egg wash. Bake 1 tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until light brown and shiny. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.
• 7. Note: You may have some filling left over. Use it in a timbale or gratin, as a topping for bruschetta or as a filling for an omelet.
• 8. Advance preparation: You can make the filling for these a day or two ahead. The pirozhkis can be made a day ahead and reheated. They freeze well.

TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
• While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
• Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

GROUND BEEF AND CABBAGE PIROSHKI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cook and stir ground beef in 10-inch skillet until brown. Remove beef; drain fat from skillet.
• Cook cabbage and onion in butter in same skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 20 minutes.
• Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg. Stir remaining egg, the beef, cheese, mustard, salt, Worcestershire sauce and pepper into cabbage mixture; reserve.
• Prepare pastry for two crust pie as directed on package, except roll into rectangle, 18 x 12 inches. Cut into six 6-inch squares.
• Place on ungreased baking sheet. Spoon 1/3 cup beef mixture onto each square. Bring corners to center and pinch together; seal edges.
• Blend water and reserved egg; brush over pastry.
• Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.
• Serve with chili sauce.

CABBAGE PIROSHKI RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare one portion of the classic piroshki dough.

CABBAGE PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Mix up the pastry dough and while it is rising, make the filling.
• Heat butter over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in dill, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and pepper. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. If using ricotta you can either stir it into the cabbage or place a teaspoon on each round of dough before topping with the cabbage mixture.
• When the dough is ready, pinch off 24 equal pieces, approximately 20 grams each, and roll each one into a small ball by cupping your hand over it and gently rolling it against your work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. One by one, roll each ball of dough to a thin round, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. If you are using ricotta and have not mixed it into the cabbage, place a teaspoon on each round and top with a tablespoon (heaped) of the cabbage. Otherwise just top each round with a heaped tablespoon of the cabbage mixture. Fold over the round and pinch the edges of the dough together, then tuck in the ends and gently shape each pirozhok into an oval (rather than a half-moon). Place on the parchment-covered baking sheet, seam side down. You should get 12 on each sheet. After you have finished shaping the first 12, cover lightly with plastic and place in a warm place to rise for 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and continue shaping the pirozhki. Cover the second batch with plastic and let rise for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Brush pirozhki with egg wash. Bake 1 tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until light brown and shiny. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

CABBAGE, FETA AND DILL PIROSHKI

Steps:

• Make the dough: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), combine the milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand 5 minutes until foamy. With the mixer on low speed, add 3 cups/385 grams of the flour, the egg, the butter and the salt, and mix until combined. Increase the speed to medium, and mix until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. The dough will be soft but should not stick to your fingers. If it does, add more flour by tablespoons. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• While the dough rises, make the filling: In a large (12-inch) high-sided skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, cabbage and a few generous pinches of salt, stir to coat with butter and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is soft and tender but not browned, and all the liquid has cooked off, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then stir in the feta, dill, and more salt and pepper to taste.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently punch down the dough, transfer to a work surface and divide into 15 pieces, each about 1 1/2 ounces/45 grams. Roll the pieces into balls, then cover them loosely with a clean dish towel. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a 4-inch/10-centimeter circle using a rolling pin. (If your dough is particularly sticky, you can dust your work surface with a bit of flour, but adding too much flour makes rolling the dough difficult, so be cautious.) Add 2 to 3 tablespoons filling to the center of each dough round. Pull the dough up and around the filling, pinching the dough firmly to enclose the filling. Place seam-side down, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The piroshki can be made up to this point and frozen for up to 1 month. Freeze on the baking sheet, then transfer to a resealable freezer storage bag. Bake as directed below, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the total baking time.)
• Place the racks in the top and bottom third of the oven, and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray, cover each pan of piroshki and let stand at room temperature until puffy, 30 minutes. Brush the tops of each with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using, or kosher salt. Bake until browned, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans and switching oven racks halfway through baking. Transfer the piroshki from the sheet pan to a wire rack and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.