RUSSIAN VEGETABLE PIE WITH WHOLE WHEAT & NUT FLOUR CRUST

Anna Thomas’ The Vegetarian Epicure-Books One and Two were the first cookbooks I ever owned. Originally published in the early ‘70s, I bought them more than a decade later when I was out of college and eager to cook vegetables in a fresh and delicious way. Her Russian Vegetable Pie, filled with cabbage, onion, and mushrooms over a slather of cream cheese, was one of my first baking triumphs. I’ve made it many times since. But I altered the recipe to replace the butter with olive oil in the filling, switched to Neufchâtel instead of cream cheese, added a swirl of Dijon mustard at the base, and tucked the filling into a healthier whole wheat and nut flour crust.

I believe Thomas would approve. In her 1996 cookbook, The New Vegetarian Epicure, Thomas wrote that her earlier books, which would sell more than a million copies, were written when vegetarianism was a popular idea, but vegetarian food was “pretty awful.” That first Vegetarian Epicure and its sequel captured the geist of a certain time. As Thomas wrote it was “a guilt-free era when butter and cream were used without a care and cheese ruled. Today, of course, our attitudes are different … we are all finding healthier ways to eat and enjoy lighter food.”

To make the pie, you’ll need a nice, small head of savoy cabbage, some cremini mushrooms, a good-sized yellow onion, and some fresh snipped French tarragon, basil, and dill. I like the texture and sturdiness of a whole wheat pastry flour crust (with almond flour added for a little extra nuttiness,) but you can make it gluten-free by substituting gluten-free flour for the whole wheat flour and omitting the mustard. If you need the pie to be dairy-free, substitute coconut oil (chilled until solid) for the butter in the crust and use vegan cream cheese-style spread instead of Neufchâtel in both the crust and to spread in the bottom of the pie.

MAKES 1, DEEP-DISH 9-INCH PIE

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PIE CRUST

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (you’ll use the other half of an 8-ounce package in the pie filling)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) ice-cold butter, cut into pieces

FOR THE FILLING

• 4 large eggs, hard-boiled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, peel discarded, finely chopped to make 1 cup
• 1 small head of savoy cabbage, roughly shredded (after cooking with the onion, you should have 4 ½ cups) OR small head of regular cabbage
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Small sprig fresh French tarragon, leaves snipped to make 2 tablespoons
• Small sprig fresh basil, leaves snipped to make 2 tablespoons
• Small sprig fresh dill, snipped to make 2 tablespoons
• ½ lb. cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 4 ounces softened Neufchâtel cheese
• 2 tablespoons good quality Dijon mustard (Maille is very nice)

METHOD
MAKE PIE CRUSTS In a large wide bowl, combine flours with salt. Cut in butter and Neufchâtel cheese, using fingertips to lightly break butter and cheese into the flour until it resembles wet sand. Add ¼ cup of water (plus small amounts more as needed) mix until dough gathers up into a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll ½ of dough into a large circle and fit into 9-inch pie dish, leaving excess dough overhanging rim of dish. Chill. Wrap second half of dough and chill.

MAKE FILLING Place 4 eggs in their shells in pan of water. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat to cool. Once cool, peel eggs. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion. Cook until onion is softened and translucent. While onion cooks, discard core from cabbage head. Cut head in half and roughly shred. Add ½ of the shredded cabbage to softened onion in sauté pan with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring until cabbage has cooked down and is tender. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to pan with remaining half of the cabbage and again cook, stirring until cooked down and tender. Remove to the bowl with the first portion of cooked cabbage and onion. Stir in snipped tarragon and basil. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté pan with sliced mushrooms. Add remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir, cooking until mushrooms are cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough-lined pie plate and the other half of the pie dough from fridge. Spread 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Spread 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard over the cheese. Place half of the cabbage/ onion/herb mixture into the pie. Slice eggs and arrange over the cabbage. Sprinkle with the fresh snipped dill. Layer remaining cabbage/onion/herb mixture over this. Top with mushrooms, slightly mounding at the center. Roll out remaining pie crust. Place over pie, tucking and rolling top crust over the bottom crust around the edge. Flute and press edge to seal. Cut a few knife slits in top of pie to vent steam. Bake pie in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 20 to 25 minutes until pie crust is golden brown. Remove from oven. Slice and serve.