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:
- Place the dried mushrooms in a small pot, add enough boiling water to cover, and set aside until the mushrooms rehydrate (about 10-15 min).
- In the mean time, shred the cabbage and cut into smaller pieces.
- Place in a large pot with 1 1/5 cups of water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and salt.
- Boil on medium heat until the cabbage softens (only about 5 mins).
- Add the sauerkraut (I don’t drain my sauerkraut, nor do I rinse it, but you can do that if you like your kraut a bit milder). Continue cooking on medium-low.
- Clean and slice the button mushrooms.
- Sauté in butter until golden brown around the edges.
- Transfer to the cabbage mixture.
- Sauté the chopped onion (add a bit more butter if needed), and also add to the party.
- After the mushrooms have rehydrated, boil for about 10 mins on low, Check they are soft, if not, boil for a bit longer. Add more water if needed.
- When the mushrooms are soft, put the water they boiled in into the cabbage mixture.
- Chop the wild mushrooms and add to the cabbage.
- Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for total cooking time of about 1 hour.
- Turn off and set aside to cool. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, cook again for another hour and a half or so.
Note:Â This dish does well in the fridge and tastes best when cooked over several days. Give it at least two days (1.5 hrs each day) of cooking before serving for best results.
