Cabbage Pie (Torta di Cavolo)

Inspired by a recipe book on cucina bianca, a cuisine found inland in Liguria.

This simple and delicious recipe was found in the recipe book "Il Bianco della Cenere" at the Agriturismo Cioi Longhi, in western inland Liguria and is typical in the town of Pornassio. Agriturismo Cioi Longhi specializes in cucina bianca, an edible celebration of local (mostly white) ingredients, used for centuries in hearty meals for the locals who needed energy to work in the fields.

Cucina bianca (white cuisine) refers to the color of the ingredients used such as garlic, onion, cabbage, leeks, dairy products, flour, and potatoes amongst other local, seasonal foods such as wild herbs.

When you taste this dish, you realize the idea behind the one-pot meal, that can satisfy your hunger and make you go on during the day (other examples are the paella in Spain or cous cous in Morocco). This sort of dish was the only viable option for local people in the past, quite apart from the multi-course restaurant menu full of options. 

The story at the bottom of the recipe (***) is a translation from the Italian book (see picture below) that explains the concept of cucina povera (poor cuisine) that uses cheap, easily-available ingredients and no specific cooking techniques for feeding the family.

Thanks, Agriturismo Cioi Longhi in Montegrosso Pian del Latte and other facilities in this corner of Liguria, for keeping these traditions alive by preserving the methods for creating flavors that would otherwise disappear!

Ingredients for 6 people for the dough:

• 125 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 75 grams (1/3 cup) water
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) EVOO
• 2.5 grams (1/2 tsp) salt
• 1.5 grams (1/2 tsp) dry yeast (we added this ingredient)

Directions:

• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl
• Make a small "mountain" of the flour, and then a "little crater" in the middle
• Mix water, EVOO, and dry yeast in a separate bowl
• Pour this liquid, little by little, onto the "crater", while stirring with a spoon to mix all well
• Knead for a minute with your hands to get your dough smooth and consistent
• Cover with a dish towel and let the dough ball rest in the fridge for 1 hour (if you don't have much time, you can pop it in a freezer for 20 mins)
• Bring out your dough and divide in two, forming two dough balls with your hands
• Cut two pieces of parchment paper and put each half- dough ball between them, then using your fingers to begin pressing it out, evenly all over
• Continue with a rolling pin to shape one dough ball into a rough circle~tenth of an inch thick (~2mm)
• Repeat for the other dough ball, then set both aside

*Ingredients for the filling:

• 3 Tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 savoy cabbage
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) rice
• 1 small onion (we added this ingredient)
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) milk
• 100 grams potato
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg (we added this ingredient)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or another "grate-able" cheese you like

Directions:

• Separate cabbage leaves and wash them well
• Cut them into strips (to save time, stack them first), then coarsely chop
• Finely mince and then sauté the onion in EVOO over medium heat until light brown
• Add chopped cabbage and sauté for a few more minutes, while adding salt
• Cover and cook for 20 minutes or so over medium flame, stirring occasionally and adding a few tablespoons of water if it becomes too dry
• When cabbage is well, done remove from the stove and set aside (recipe indicates raw cabbage, but we prefer to cook it in advance)
• Cook rice for 10 mins in milk and add water if needed. Keep it al dente and then set aside
• Boil your potato, let it cool down. Then peel it, squash it with a fork and set aside
• In a bowl, mix 2 cups of cooked cabbage with the grated cheese, squashed potato, cooked rice and 1 egg
• Adjust with salt and pepper to your taste
• Lay a piece of parchment paper into a round-shape pan and place a round-shape sheet of dough on top, and then add the filling
• Put the other sheet of dough over the top and seal the edges
• Bake in the oven at 400F for about 30 minutes or until when done
• Remove and place your cabbage pie on a steel cooling rack
• You may prepare this dish in advance and then served cold or reheated it in the oven for 5 minutes  

Buon appetito!

(***) "Memories…..My grandma, in the winter, when cabbage was growing in our veggie garden, and while bread was cooking in the woodstove, she used to make a savory pie. She chopped raw cabbage with a knife, she added a boiled and squashed potato, and a handful or rise previously cooked in milk. Then she dressed the mixture with olive oil, salt and pepper. She made the dough with our flour, olive oil and water. When bread was cooked she popped the cabbage pie in the woodstove to cook in the copper pan. This was our main meal for lunch and, when cooked, it was placed on the table used to make dough, it was sliced and all the family members ate with hands neither with dishes nor with silverware."