Humble pie

Savory and meltingly delicious, for the Venn diagram of π Day, the Oscars, AND St. Patrick's Day

Mar 13, 2026

∙ Paid

Thank you all for being here! If you enjoy this, please click the ♥️, restack this post, or share it with another foodie fan. Extra thanks if you’re active in the comments! Your comments spark new ideas and help me get to know you, all inspiring the road ahead. ;)

Greetings dear ones, and welcome to today’s Stories from Catbird Cottage! Today was the closest I’ve come in a long while to forfeiting a recipe (I’ll get to that shortly), but thanks to my disaster-control instincts, thinking-fast-on-my-feet saved the day. Which means hooray! we have a beautiful, extremely delectable pie to celebrate.

For other professional projects (such as my years cooking, styling, and photographing assignments at The New York Times), I was always given a budget for enough of the raw materials for a second try, if need be. I routinely maintain that practice to this day, but in this crazy paced life, I don’t always have the time. Which - for better or worse - has meant that I consistently figure out how to make it work. And then I pass that wisdom on to you.

We all need solutions that save the day

We can all agree, if we put in the effort to prepare a thing, no one wants the end result to be a failure. Especially if you’re making food for others, which compounds pressure from the get-go. So in today’s featured recipe, there’s a few extra pointers to ensure you succeed, saving you the fate my looming deadline almost produced.

While you’re here, may I tempt you to upgrade? You can trust my creativity, trials + tribulations - and successes! - so you too, can have consistent wins in your own kitchen. I rigorously plan the editorial calendar so there’s always something delightful, at just the right moment. You also have the expertise of my years as a home cook, author, recipe developer, and stylist (think-on-your-feet skills!), and the lengths (and cost) I go to source ingredients. And after all that, beautiful photographs accompany Every.Single.Story. which I spend hours teasing out with intention so you’ll feast, even before you step foot in the kitchen. Thank you so much for your support! You help keep the lights on.

Cabbage is cathartic

On the eve of Pi Day (tomorrow, 3.14), Sunday night’s Oscars, and St. Patrick’s Day (married to someone Irish, I’m basically obligated), I’d like to extol the many virtues of cabbage and entice you to make this pie part of your own repertoire.

I love cabbage for its assertive crunch and its pound-for-pound economy. Cabbage is nutrient dense and the perfect vegetable for lots of preparations. In addition to its prizewinning frugality, it also stores well - easily 1-2 months in the refrigerator. Did you know? It’s best to store cabbage whole and unwashed - and without a plastic bag - until you are ready to use it. Before cooking (or chopping for raw preparations) remove the outer leaves if they look dry or old. Cabbages can be continuously peeled back, and the leaves underneath the outermost ones will still be crisp and perfect.

What other vegetable can wear “juicy, crisp slaw” like a pro and also “velvety and melted” once roasted? You might be surprised to learn that the most consistently raved about dish - across two winter supper clubs, with two separate crowds - was my ember-cooked cabbage… This, with a menu that included many fancier ingredients and dishes. Cabbage does it all, and humbly, at that.

But first, an announcement…

Join me and a baker’s dozen of other amazing authors on May 2nd at the culinary studio, Upstate Table, in Kingston NY, for Cookbook Social, an in-person celebration of cookbooks. Props to friends Jenna Helwig and Rebecca Ffrench for organizing what’s sure to be a wonderful afternoon! Jenna shares, “There will be music, food, and drink, and free totes to take your new books home. It will be springy, friendly, and fun, and the perfect place to buy Mother’s Day and graduation gifts, or just treat yourself to those books you’ve been eyeing.” Together, with Polina Chesnakova, Hetty Lui McKinnon, Victoria Granof, Maya Kaimal, Lidey Heuck, Dan Pelosi, Jessie Sheehan, Sarah Copeland, Chitra Agrawal, Colu Henry, and Marissa Mullen, we’ll all be talking cookbooks and what inspires us, sharing foods from our books, and signing copies! Get tickets here, and if you have any questions, drop them in the comments.

Cabbage, forever

Whether they’re part of your repertoire or not, there are many kinds of cabbage to fall in love with. They are a superfood and high in antioxidants, reason alone to bring more of this cruciferous veggie into your life. Here’s a brief guide to finding the right cabbage, whether you’re after a sumptuous stew, salad, soup, or you seek a particular flavor profile.

Cone-shaped or “sugarloaf” cabbages: commonly known as conehead, arrowhead, sweetheart, or sugarcone cabbage, these are prized for their delicate texture and naturally sweet, mild flavor. Cone cabbages are an old heirloom variety, cultivated before cabbages were bred to be round and easier to mechanically process into kraut and coleslaw. They are also more flavorful than modern varieties, which are bred for uniformity, long storage and high yields. These cabbages feature thinner, lettuce-like leaves that lack the typical sulfurous “bite,” making them ideal for raw salads, slaws, quick sautés, or grilling. Some varietals for you gardening folks include Caraflex, Filderkraut, or Murdoc (my favorite, which can grow up to 10 pounds in size and is sweet, with slightly spicy notes).

A remarkably large garden-grown green cabbage, Murdoc cone cabbage, Savoy cabbages

Taiwanese flat cabbage: these cabbages are distinctly squat and flat, and notable for its pliable, even more tender leaves. Taiwanese Flat cabbages have a mild, sweet, faintly grassy taste without the mustardy, peppery notes in other varieties. This cabbage is commonly used in stir-fries, thought it is also excellent roasted, and, tucked into today’s savory pie.
Red cabbage: Also known as purple cabbage, this variety is quite versatile. Its thicker textured leaves yield when shaved, then served raw in salads and slaws, cooked long and slow in braises, or sautéed on the stove, and is a staple in German and Eastern European cuisines. Blue-purple foods such as red cabbage contain anthocyanins and phenolics, which benefit the urinary tract, memory, and immune system.
Green cabbage: Perhaps the most ubiquitous cabbage varietal, and one of the most widely known vegetables around the world, green cabbage is also known as cannonball cabbage. The leaves are pale green in color and have a crunchy, waxy consistency.
Savoy cabbage: This delicate, oval shaped cabbage has leaves with prominent veining extending to wavy edges, giving the surface a raised, bumpy, and crinkly appearance. Savoy cabbages vary in color from light to dark green. The leaves are also thinner than other green cabbages but feel sturdy and hold their shape well when cooked. Savoy cabbage is known for its mild, earthy, nutty, and sweet taste - leaves are simmered into soups, stews, and curries, baked into gratins and casseroles, added to various pasta dishes, or filled with meat, herbs, and grains for stuffed cabbage.
Napa cabbage: From Melissa’s produce, “Napa has a mild, sweet flavor. It has an oblong head with tightly packed pale green to white, crispy, crinkled leaves, and is often called ‘celery cabbage’.” Napa cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked, is easier on digestion than other types, and is used in stir-fries and soups, as well as in making kimchi. This cabbage is more perishable than other types - if kept whole, it lasts for up to two weeks.