Vărzare is the Moldovan cabbage pie, one of the most homely and one of the best for fasting days. The name comes from varză, cabbage. The thin dough is crisp at the edges, and inside lies soft stewed cabbage with onion. It is baked during fasts and on ordinary days, taken on journeys and served warm with tea or borscht.

What vărzare is made of

Everything is simple: a dough of flour and water, cabbage, onion and oil. No eggs in the dough, no milk, no sugar. That is why the taste rests on two things: the cabbage, which should come out soft but not mush, and the dough, rolled out as thin as possible. Fried onion gives sweetness, pepper and dill add aroma.

In every family the pie looks different. Some coil it into a snail, others make long rolls, others shape small closed pies. The filling is the same in all cases.

Which cabbage to choose

For the filling, firm white cabbage works best. Young cabbage gives a lot of juice and falls apart quickly, mature winter cabbage keeps its flavour and turns tender after stewing. Choose a head without spots that feels heavy for its size.

A kilo of cabbage is enough for a pie for the whole family. Here is what cabbage and other vegetables look like in the shops today:

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The water dough

The dough is kneaded firm but elastic. Sift the flour, add water at room temperature or slightly warm, the oil and a little vinegar. The vinegar makes the dough more stretchy, and no smell is left in the baked pie. Knead for about ten minutes: at first the dough sticks, then it turns smooth and stops clinging to your hands.

Next it needs rest. Cover the dough with a bowl or film and leave it for forty minutes. In that time the gluten relaxes and the dough becomes pliable. If you start rolling at once, it fights back and tears.

The flour for this dough is ordinary white wheat flour. You can compare prices in the shops here:

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How to stew the cabbage

Salt the shredded cabbage and knead it well with your hands until it gives off juice. Squeeze it out: extra water will spoil the pie. Chop the onion finely and soften it in oil until it is soft and translucent but not brown.

Add the cabbage and stew on medium heat for twenty to twenty-five minutes, stirring. Keep the lid on only at the start. At the end take it off so the extra moisture evaporates and the cabbage browns a little. Cool the filling completely, and add the pepper and dill right at the end.

Rolling and coiling

Divide the dough into four. Roll each piece with a rolling pin into the thinnest possible rectangle, brush with oil and stretch with your hands, resting the dough on your palms. The edges can be almost transparent. Trim off any thick places.

Along the long edge lay a narrow strip of filling and roll the dough into a tight roll. Coil the roll into a snail. Place the snails in the tin greased with oil, just touching one another. If the tin is round, put one snail in the centre and the rest around it.

Baking

Heat the oven in advance to 200 degrees. Brush the pie with oil mixed with egg yolk so the crust comes out golden, and prick it with a fork in several places so the dough does not balloon. Put the tin on the lower shelf.

Bake for thirty-five to forty minutes. A finished pie is golden and crisp at the edges, and the bottom feels dry to the touch. Take it out and cover it with a towel for ten minutes: the steam softens the crust and the pie becomes more tender. Slice it warm.

What to serve with it

Vărzare goes well with kefir or soured milk, with sour cream, with tea. With a thick borscht or a vegetable zeamă the pie stands in for bread. In Moldova it is also eaten cold, as a snack. It is convenient food for the road and for work.

If you want to try other Moldovan pies, look at plăcinte with cheese and at the pumpkin plăcintă. Stewed cabbage without dough is in the article about varză călită.

Filling variations

Grated carrot goes into the cabbage, which makes the taste sweeter. For heartiness add fried mince or smoked belly cut small. During a fast, mushrooms replace the meat. Sauerkraut is rinsed and stewed longer until soft.

If you have no time to stretch the dough, buy ready-made thin dough for plăcinte. It is easier to handle, but the taste comes out a little different: homemade dough is crisp in another way.

Storing it and saving money

Keep the cooled pie in the fridge for up to three days, under a towel or in a container. Before serving, warm it in the oven for ten minutes and the crust turns crisp again. A microwave makes the dough rubbery, so it is better not to use one.

Vărzare freezes well in pieces. There are few ingredients, cabbage is one of the cheapest vegetables, and the dough costs almost nothing. To save, buy cabbage as a whole head, and take flour and oil in advance.