Cabbage Stew and Cabbage Pies

I want to share with you two meals that I make from cabbage. Both delicious and both simple. I normally buy one cabbage and do both meals from it, so they come hand in hand in our family.

Cabbage and Pork Stew

Cabbage stew is something I remember my Mommy making often at home. When I found myself in lockdown a year ago, slowing down my life that has always had a crazy pace, I somehow remembered meals we used to eat at home in Russia. This was one of them. I made it and it had become one of our family’s favourites since then.

Ingredients

• Cabbage 2kg

• Diced Pork 400g (can be chicken too)

• 1 Carrot, cut in batons

• 1 Onion, diced

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• Parsley 50g

• Bay leave

• Garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, sunflower oil to taste

Method

• Fry pork with sunflower oil on high heat, adding pepper and salt to taste

• Once pork starts getting crispy outside add onion and fry till onion is light brown

• Add carrot and fry for 5 minutes

• Add tomato paste and fry for 2 more minutes

• Add water, bay leaf, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to small and stew for 40 mins

• Dice cabbage, then put in a separate pan, and fry till golden. Add salt at the end.

• Add cabbage to the pork, add water if needed, and stew for another 15 mins. At the end add parsley and chopped garlic.

• Serve with rice or potato mash

Cabbage Pies

This is my modification of cabbage pie that we made at home in Russia. I make it with puff pastry to speed up the process and it’s absolutely delicious. In summer we often took the pies with us for a picnic in a park or even in the garden. My daughter loves making these pies with me, so it’s also great for baking with kids.

Ingredients

• Cabbage, about 300g (I cut off a piece of cabbage for the pies and make the stew from the rest)

• 2 eggs

• Sugar 1 tsp

• Salt and oil to taste

• Jusrol Puff pastry sheet (or any other brand)

Method

For stuffing:

• Boil eggs and leave to cool down

• Dice cabbage, pour boiling water on it and then pour cold water. After that drain, press the water out with hands and fry with the oil for about 10-15 mins. It will be half-cooked at the end.

• Add salt, sugar, and chopped eggs to the cabbage and mix well. Leave to cool down.

Make the pies:

• Open puff pastry, cut to pieces for pies (Jusrol pastry has markings to cut on).

• Add the stuffing on one side of the pastry, then fold it over to form a ‘wrap’ and pinch the ends together

• Brush the top with egg and make three slight cuts on top of the pastry

• Bake for 12-15 minutes at 200C (180C in my fan oven)

• Enjoy the meal!