Cabbage and Leek Cheese Pie

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Remember when I made Chinese food?  Well, it called for cabbage.  Instead of letting half a head of cabbage sit around in my fridge until I felt guilty and it was starting to show age spots, I decided to plan ahead and make a meal out of it before it could go bad.

Enter Cabbage and Leek Cheese Pie.

So yum!  I had to improvise, mainly because some of the ingredients were not readily available in my grocery store, and those that were, were ridiculously expensive.

Instead of making this into a pie (which now that I have made it would be delicious in a regular pie crust), I bought little philo pastry shells that were mini muffin sized.  Perfect for appetizers  not so much for a main course.  This was so good, though, and I will absolutely make it again.  

What you need:

6 thick phyllo pastry sheets

olive oil for greasing the pan and the pastry sheets

1/2 medium cabbage, finely shredded

1 medium leek (only the white part), finely sliced in rounds

2 large carrots, grated

1 small celeriac, peeled and roughly grated

1 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup greek kasseri cheese (I used provolone), grated

3 eggs, lightly beaten

salt

black pepper

What to do:

• In a large pot combine 1/2 cup of water, or more as needed, the cabbage, the leek, the carrots and the celeriac.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer in low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened and their liquids are released.
• Transfer in a colander and leave until they are well dreained.  Transfer to a large bowl and add plenty of pepper, the Feta and the Kasseri cheese and the eggs.  Stir very well and leave aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350*.  Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of a round oven pan.
• Lay a pastry sheet on the dish, letting the edges hang over the rim and brush with oil.  Place a second sheet cross-wise over the first and brush with oil.  Then lay a third sheet which you put slanted to the previous one, making sure that no part of the pan is uncovered and again brush with oil.
• Empty the filling on top of the pastry and smooth with a spatula.  Bring the edges back over the top of the filing and then lay three more pastry sheets on top in the same way you did beore, brushing each one with some oil.
• Tuck the edges into the side of the dish and under the bottom pastry sheet, as if you were tucking in a bedsheet, so to seal the filling.
• Using a sharp knife, gently score the top pastry sheet into square (or diamond) shape pieces but without cutting right through.
• Put the pan in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes until golden and crispy.

Making this with little pastry shells didn't use a lot of the cabbage mixture.  In fact, it only used about half.  Which was just as well, because I was able to save the rest and freeze it for a future date.  It was a big hit, which is always wonderful.