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.
Hasselback potatoes are definitely comfort food to me! Long time followers of this page will know that I am very proud of this style of potato: back in 2015, I even won a contest with this recipe put on by the Idaho Potato Commission and if it’s one thing that Idaho knows, it’s potatoes. 🙂 These take a bit of time (usually right around an hour, although if you have larger potatoes, they can take a little longer), and they take a little bit of precision to make, but I think that they are worth it. My trick for not cutting all the way through the potato is to put a chop stick on either side o the potato so I don’t slice all the way down to the cutting board. If you aren’t a fan of garlic, you can omit it, though I do think the fresh herbs are nice in the basting butter.
Seeing I was stuck at home all day, I decided to make some winter comfort food… I’d never roast a chicken in the summer (that is what Whole Food Rotisserie is for!) but today I was at home and was in the mood so… Voila! The roasted bird with schmaltzy veggies (and by that, I mean the “covered in chicken fat” meaning of schmaltzy, not the “overly sentimental” definition). Delicious. Plenty of leftovers for the next days as well.
Winter Salad — although frankly, this is pretty good for a summer picnic too (no mayo!): Wild Rice, Corn + Sprout Salad, with Hot Smoked Salmon. Simple to put together, healthy and is a spectacular lunch. While I think that the smoked salmon is integral, I can see that without it, it would also be very nice (somehow, a totally different salad).