So, I made a Hungarian Cabbage Soup last week and had half a Savoy cabbage left over and needed some inspiration on what to do with it. In my searches I came across a recipe for a cabbage and mushroom galette from my hero, Deb, from Smitten Kitchen, so I didn’t look much further. But I’ll confess I started having some serious doubts after the preparation was underway. First of all, good gracious there’s a lot of labor that goes into this dish. I’m used to making a quiche that takes about 6.2 second to prepare, but this one, boy howdy! So, it took me a week to finally find the time and gumption to make it and I spent the entire preparation convinced that it would be a disaster.
The fresh tarragon smelled too strong in the pan. I’m really not a huge fan of dill. Make my own pastry that has to rest for an hour in the fridge? Vinegar and sour cream? Really? Ok… this is how much I trust Deb, I kept going. But, I made some changes,(ok, a lot of changes) because, well, that’s just what I do.
It came out of the oven about 5 minutes before Adam got home from work and his response when he saw it was “Ooh, that looks fancy!” and my un-uttered reply was, “Yeah, we might be eating buttered noodles an hour from now instead.” But once I bit into it I realized it was a slice of heaven. Heaven with tarragon that had mellowed in the oven, sour cream that was giving off a tiny little tang, cabbage that still had a crunch in places, and a crust that, well, let’s be honest, what’s better than homemade crust?
After piece number one I should have stopped eating, I was full. But, slice number two went down anyway, and then sliver number three was lost in a battle of the “stop eating/keep eating” war I wage with myself daily.
The most delightful part is that half of it is left and Adam’s away for two nights later in the week and now I know what I’ll be eating for dinner while he’s gone!
Rustic Cabbage & Mushroom Quiche:
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Cabbage and Mushroom Galette
For the pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
In the work bowl of your food processor combine the flour, salt, and butter cold from the fridge. Pulse in food processor until it resembles a course meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, and water. Slowly pour the liquid into the flour and butter while continuing to pulse the food processor. Remove the dough from the food processor and pat it into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the filling
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely diced
10 ounces fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ head green cabbage
1 tsp kosher salt
½ cup water
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sweat the onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and herbs and cook until softened. Add the cabbage and water, cover and cook slowly until the cabbage is tender, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage is tender, uncover and raise the heat to evaporate any excess moisture. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Mix in the vinegar and sour cream and let the mixture rest on the counter.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out your dough on a floured surface and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silpat sheet
Bake for 30 minutes.
Let the quiche rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
I love that you’re posting something to do with leftover cabbage! I mean come on, how often do you need a whole head for anything really? This sounds fantastic! Nice job on the gallette (I’ve seen some really sloppy ones from the students here at the cooking school).