Romanian Cabbage Pies – Placinte cu varza

5 from 2 votes

These typical Romanian cabbage pies or placinte cu varza are filled with cabbage and lots of dill. Serve them with smetana or sour cream.

Prep Time1 45

Cook Time30

Total Time2 15

Course: Romanian Cooking

Cuisine: Romanian

Servings: pieces

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Adina

Mix and knead: In a large bowl, mix the flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, and salt. Then, slowly start adding the lukewarm water, mixing with a spoon until the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it stops sticking too much to the bowl, flouring your hands from time to time, if necessary.
500 g all-purpose flour/ 2 cups + 2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + 250 ml lukewarm water/ 1 cup
Stand mixer: Alternatively, you can prepare your yeast dough in the stand mixer using the appropriate kneading accessories and kneading for about 4-5 minutes.
Let rise: Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Prepare cabbage: Meanwhile, prepare the stewed cabbage. Grate the cabbage roughly or process it in the food processor to obtain a similar result to grating it manually. Add some salt (be generous) and pepper, and leave for about 15 minutes.
500 g white cabbage/ 1 lb + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and black pepper
Stew cabbage: Heat the oil in a large non-stick pot or Dutch oven and stew the cabbage until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Adjust the taste, generously, with salt and pepper, and stir in the finely chopped dill. Leave to cool slightly until you prepare the rest.
2 tablespoons oil + a smallish bunch of dill

Roll dough: Knead the risen dough shortly to bring it in shape again. Divide it into 10 parts and form 10 balls. Roll each ball into a thin circle. I did not require extra flour for rolling but sprinkle the working surface and the rolling pin lightly with flour if the dough sticks.
Form pies: Place some filling in the middle of the circle and form a pocket by bringing together all the sides of the circle and pressing lightly to seal the pocket. Roll the pocket again to make it flat. See the pictures above!
Rest: Place the pies on parchment paper and let rest for 10 minutes.

Fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick pan. Fry the pies for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You will have to work in two or three batches. Add some more oil between the batches if necessary.
4 tablespoons oil
Keep the pies warm in the lightly heated oven. Serve them immediately with sour cream and tomato and onion salad, or eat them at room temperature as a snack.

Measurements: Use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to measure the ingredients when baking; it guarantees the best results.
Yeast: You can use active dry yeast instead. Sprinkle it in 5 tablespoons of the lukewarm water you've measured already and let it stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and proceed with the recipe.