It’s Pi(e) Day on March 14, so I had to make a pie, right? Well, seeing I am still working on educating myself on all things Ukrainian, I decided to make Kapustyanyy pyrih — Ukrainian-Style Cabbage Pie. It’s sort of a cross between a souffle, a crust-less quiche and a savory pie like a potato-leek pie. It’s got a whole lot of cabbage of-course (not fermented cabbage / sauerkraut though, just raw cabbage that is baked), as well as herbs and onions and a light, super eggy crust. It’s not like anything that I have ever had before, but I do quite like it. I also could see making this in like a rectangular brownie pan and serving it as a side with a meat dish. Apparently, you can also make variations with other veggies included (i.e. carrot or potatoes) or add in some sauteed chicken or sausage or ham. Pleasantly pleased at the outcome.
appetizers
Kapustyanyy pyrih
First Sourdough of the year: Asiago + Rosemary Artisan Italian Loaf. Really nice crust on this one, great flavor, though I could see that one has to be careful with salt — the cheese is pretty salty. Great dipping bread with olive oil and garlic and would go great with some antipasti. Definitely one to repeat.
I made this absolutely fantastic soup the other day: I roasted a Kuri squash (sort of like a small pumpkin) and made a bisque with some other aromatics (onions, carrots and peppers) and lot and lots of curry. Its delicious and I’m seriously contemplating making another batch with my leftover squash (I bought a whole bunch and I still have two left). The one thing though, is that single color soups don’t photograph well, so the pictures aren’t all that great. Just pretend you have a whiff of the curry and that makes up for the photo. I need a scratch-and-sniff website.
Baby Dill Refrigerator Gherkins (Cornichon)
I have a thing for pickles. I have told the story many times that my first word was actually “Gurke!” which is the German work for pickle. And I will eat them by the jar. OK, hopefully not by the jar because that is a little too much vinegar even for my iron stomach. So, I decided to make my own this year. I do this every few years, but when I saw the baby cornichons (these are literally just an inch or two in size), I just had to make them. They are a little salty (next time add a little more sugar to the brine), but otherwise, these are pretty fantastic. They should stay good in the fridge for a while, but I’ll likely eat them all by next week!
I made another focaccia. It seems that whenever I don’t know what the make when I need to feed Alice in Wonderdoughland, I fall back to a focaccia. They are easy, forgiving and delicious. This is going to serve as my lunch for the nxt few days, but would also make a great side to a soup, a charcuterie platter, with a nice salad and a glass of wine. The Gorgonzola got all melty and is tart compared to the rest of the bread. Another winner to add to the rotation.