Ingredients
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1/2 head of cabbage
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1 can (14 oz / 500 g) sauerkraut
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1 1/2 cups Water
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3 Bay Leaves
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6 allspice and peppercorns - whole
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1 tsp Salt
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16 - 20 oz / 500 - 700 g baby bellasbutton mushrooms
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1 large onionchopped
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About 1 cup dried mushrooms
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2 tbs tomato paste
Directions
Braised sauerkraut meets wild mushrooms in this typical Christmas Eve dish. Could you have anything more Polish than that? Serve it with rye bread and homemade butter and you will turn Polish before swallowing the first bite!
How to Make Kapusta Z Grzybami:
- If using frozen mushrooms: Thaw the mushrooms, preferably overnight. Once thawed, finely chop them.
- If using dried mushrooms: Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow the mushrooms to rehydrate for about 10-15 minutes until they soften. After soaking, drain the mushrooms and chop them finely.
- While the mushrooms rehydrate, shred the cabbage and cut it into smaller pieces.
- In a large pot, combine the shredded cabbage with 1 ½ cups (350 milliliters) of water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries, and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat and simmer until the cabbage softens, which should take approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the sauerkraut to the pot. Continue cooking on medium-low.
- Clean and slice the button mushrooms. Sauté them in butter until they turn golden brown around the edges. Once sautéed, add these mushrooms to the cabbage mixture.
- In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion, adding a bit more butter if necessary. Once the onion is translucent and fragrant, add it to the pot with the cabbage and mushrooms.
- After the dried mushrooms have rehydrated, boil them for approximately 10 minutes on low heat, checking to see if they have softened. If needed, boil them for a bit longer, and add more water if necessary. Once the dried mushrooms are soft, strain the water from boiling them into the pot with the cabbage mixture.
- Chop the rehydrated wild mushrooms and also add them to the pot.
- Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking the mixture for a total cooking time of about 1 hour.
- Turn off and set aside to cool.
