The Most Delicious and Easy Meat and Cabbage Pie Recipe

I have a very good friend who lives in..

I have a very good friend who lives in Finland. She's not Finnish and finds it quite difficult to fit in with the local community because of the language, some cultural differences and the general coldness of both the weather and Finnish customs. We had a little Zoom meeting the other day and she told me how this simple recipe helped her on her way to belonging... Her daughter's school organized a little charity event, a one-day pop-up cafeteria, to raise money for the children’s school trip at the end of the year. Every parent was asked to bring some food to sell in the cafeteria. She checked my blog, found this recipe and won everyone's heart! Two large pies were sold in less than an hour, making a very good financial contribution to the school trip. My friend also emphasized how easy this recipe is - you don't need a lot of cooking and baking experience. The steps are simple and easy to follow.

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Ingredients:

• 1 onion, cut in half rings

• olive oil

• 450g (1lb) ground beef

• 1 carrot, grated

• 1/2 small cabbage, finely chopped

• Season with salt and black pepper

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Batter:

• 5 tbsp sour cream

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

• 7 tbsp flour

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Butter or oil to grease the baking tray

Kitchen utensils: An 8-inch (20 cm) square baking tray (the one I used) with rims at least 6 cm (2.5 inches) high; a large bowl; a whisk; a spatula; a frying pan; a cutting board and a knife.

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Method:

1. Cut 1 onion into half rings. Heat the frying pan over a medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until golden.

2. Add 450g (1lb) of minced beef, break it up with a spatula, season with a pinch salt and pepper and add the spices: ½ teaspoon garlic powder in this case.

3. Grate 1 carrot and add to the meat and onions.

4. Chop a half of cabbage and add to the pan. Give it all a good mix and cook over the low heat with the lid for 6-7 minutes.

5. Now make the batter: beat 2 eggs until the yolks and whites are completely mixed. Add 5 tablespoons of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix until smooth and even. Add 7 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix until smooth. The consistency should resemble a sour cream.

6. Grease a baking tray with a rim of at least 6 cm (2.5 inches) high - with 1 tablespoon of butter or 1 ½ tablespoon of oil.

7. Using a spatula or ladle, spread the first half of the batter on the base. Place the meat and cabbage filling on top and cover with the rest of the batter.

8. Bake for 35 minutes at 180C/360F.

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🖨️ Printable recipe (PDF):

Delicious And Easy Meat & Cabbage Pie

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Notes:

Filling: My friend also tried the pie in the salmon version and said it was delicious. She diced the salmon fillet in little cubes, cooked it like the mince and added some hot smoked salmon at the end. Practically, any meat or fish would work just fine. However, I would add a bit more butter, oil or cream cheese to the turkey and chicken, as they can get quite dry.

Spices: Don’t hesitate to experiment with the spices and herbs in this dish. For the salmon, my friend used quite a generous amount of fresh dill. For chicken or turkey mince, some curcuma and curry leaves would be lovely. For lamb – a bit of fresh mint…

Leftovers: The pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's delicious cold or hot. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

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Substitutions:

Vegetarians: Try using pre-cooked lentils instead of beef. Alternatively, make a vegetable ragout and use it as a pie filling - how about two or three bell peppers cut into strips and cooked with cabbage, tomatoes and a bit of basil at the end?

Flour: As rye flour is very popular in Finland, my friend used it in her pie. She mentioned that instead of 7 tablespoons she used about 5 and a half, as the rye flour is a little thicker than the all-purpose wheat flour. The texture of the batter should resemble sour cream – so if it is thicker, feel free to add more liquid: cream, mayonnaise, milk or water.

Lactose-Free / Vegan: Try this to make a vegan, dairy-free substitute for sour cream: combine 1 cup cashews soaked overnight, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Blend until smooth and use as sour cream.

A vegan mayonnaise is also easy to make: take ½ cup soy milk and blend in a food processor with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. While still blending, add 1 cup of sunflower seed or other neutral oil. Season to taste.

To replace the eggs, take 120g silken tofu, blend until smooth and use instead of eggs.

Gluten-free: Find some good quality, organic gluten-free flours such as rice, oat or corn flour.

Onion: Leeks, shallots, as usual... If you're allergic, try replacing the onion with a bulb of fennel, peeled and finely chopped.

Carrots: Try grated turnips or parsnips. Celeriac would also be great in this recipe!

Cabbage: Cabbage is a cheap, brilliant ingredient that adds moisture and a very special flavor to the pie. But it can of course be something else. Peppers, fennel, tomatoes - each and every vegetable would bring something unique and interesting to the pie. Let me know how it goes!

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Watch How To Make It: