Savory pies are favorites in Russia, and cabbage pie is the most common. I have not been there, but my friend Jacqueline Mitchell has, and she returned with this, certainly the easiest cabbage pie ever. I think it is best suited as an appetizer or a snack, but it’s an odd dish, good hot or at room temperature, mysteriously simple, and quite glorious when it’s done. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: any cabbage (red will not look too great, though it will taste fine), including Savoy and Napa.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings as a main course, many more as a starter or snack

　　2 tablespoons butter, plus more as needed

　　1 medium or 1/2 large head of green cabbage, about 2 pounds, cored and shredded

　　1 medium onion, sliced

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2/3 cup chopped fresh dill leaves

　　6 eggs

　　1 cup whole-milk yogurt or sour cream

　　3 tablespoons mayonnaise

　　1/2 teaspoon baking powder

　　1 1/4 cups flour

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. A minute later, add the cabbage and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is quite tender, about 10 minutes; do not brown. Remove from the heat, add the dill, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, hard-cook 3 of the eggs (page 338). When they are done, peel and coarsely chop. Add to the cooked cabbage mixture and let cool while you make the batter.

　　

Step 3

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, and remaining 3 eggs. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until smooth. Lightly butter a 9 × 12-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom, then top with the cabbage filling; smear the remaining batter over the cabbage, using your fingers or a rubber spatula to make sure there are no gaps in what will form the pie’s top crust.

　　

Step 4

Bake for 45 minutes; it will be shiny and golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into as many squares or rectangles as you like. Eat warm or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.