Remember that new pastry recipe that I used for the Swiss Chard Quiche, I am using the other half for my dinner tonight. Cabbage and Mushroom Hand Pies comes straight out of “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden. This recipe uses cabbage which I already had on hand from my weekly co-op share and mushrooms to create a meaty tasting dish that is completely vegetarian. I don’t have access to a leek right now so I used the remaining green onions that I had from earlier in the week. The filling was straightforward to make and once it was complete it went into the fridge to chill. The only time consuming part of this recipe was rolling out eight individual pieces of the pastry dough. Next time, I will roll it all out as one piece and separate it into 4 squares and then cut into triangles. These were a delicious hearty meal that I would recommend for anyone that is trying to add more veggies into their weekly routine. This also made enough for me to freeze about half of them for another dinner. Enjoy!

Cabbage and Mushroom Hand Pies

For the filling

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ pound thinly sliced mushrooms  
• salt and pepper for seasoning  
• 1 large leek, dark green ends and root ends cut off and discarded
• 4 cups finely shredded Savoy cabbage, lightly packed (about ½ cabbage) 
• 1/4 cup water, plus more for assembling the pies 
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (you can go up to two teaspoons if you really like mustard) 
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 lemon
• 1-2 shakes hot sauce
• A bit of flour for rolling out the dough

The Recipe

To make the filling:  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with a bit of salt and pepper and let cook for about 8 minutes, until fragrant.

When mushrooms are done, transfer to a bowl. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan along with leeks and season lightly with salt and pepper. Lower the heat so that the leeks don’t burn and cook for about 3 minutes, until leeks have softened. Add in the cabbage and the water. Cover the skillet and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted. Then, uncover and cook the cabbage for another 8 minutes, stirring often, until it’s golden.

Add in the vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, Parmesan, lemon juice and hot sauce and stir well. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and let cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Once the mixture is cooled, you are ready to assemble the hand pies. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 8 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a round and flatten it with your fingers until each one is about 3 inches in diameter. You may need to flour your hands and the surface so that the dough doesn’t stick. Use a rolling pin to roll the circles into thinner circles that are about 7-inches across. 

Place 1/8 of the filling onto the lower halves of the dough circles, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Brush the border with a bit of water using a pastry brush or just your fingers and then fold the top half of the dough over the filling so that it meets the bottom and forms a little crescent. Press down to seal the dough and then use a fork to crimp the edges decoratively. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Remove the pies from the fridge and using a small sharp knife, cut slits into the tops of each pie to allow steam to escape. Bake pies on a heavy sheet pan for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. If making them ahead, you can reheat them for about 10 minutes. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and reheated.