Smoked Salmon Phyllo Pie

Not everyone grew up eating hunks of raw cabbage in their high school brown bag lunch...ok, almost no one. You can guess who is the exception!

But even if you do not share my love affair with cabbage, you will be bowled over by the transformation of humble green cabbage in this phyllo encased pie.

Sweating onion, cabbage and finely sliced fennel in olive oil brings out the sweetness in cabbage and blending it with a minimum of ingredients creates what looks fancy, but us cooks know was actually quite simple to make.

While this pie features smoked salmon or lox, you could easily make it with pork or veggie sausage or just make it a cabbage pie for those of you who share my love of this member of the brassica family.

Smoked Salmon Phyllo Pie (inspired by Russian Salmon Pie from The New York Times)

12 sheets phyllo
oil for spraying
4 oz smoked salmon (lox is ok), broken in bite size pieces or chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups finely chopped green cabbage, 1 small cabbage
1 small fennel bulb, sliced in half and sliced very finely (optional)
1/2 onion, cut in half moons
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons dried dill
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese such as havarti, mild cheddar
2 eggs beaten
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat cast iron or heavy bottom skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom, add onion and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add fennel, cabbage, caraway seeds and dill and stir well to coat in the oil, turn heat down to medium low and sweat cabbage for 13-15 minutes until it softens and begins to look translucent. Add salmon and stir well and cook another 4-5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Turn off heat and scrap all into a mixing bowl. Add the cheese, cream and 2/3 of the beaten egg to the cabbage mix and blend well.

Use a 9 inch pie pan to build your pie with deep sides if possible. Spray the bottom with oil and then drape a single sheet of phyllo, allow it to overlap the edges, spraying with oil. Add the second sheet to overlap over the edge by about 1 inch, and then repeat with the remaining sheet, essentially creating a star with the 5 sheets, creating the bottom shell of the pie.

Pour filling into the pie and close the pie by layering phyllo the same way you created the bottom. Trim edges and turn them into the pie to seal it. Pour remaining egg on top and using a rubber spatula, smear the egg all over the top to moisten the phyllo as well as to melt the folded in edges of phyllo into the top of the pie. Puncture the top of the pie 6-8 times with a sharp knife. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out hot. Cut and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Hugs!