Łazanki with Fresh Cabbage

• I came across a photograph of a dish of  łazanki  with fresh cabbage and decided to have a look at recipes for this.
• I read that this is a dish very popular in Eastern Poland – strangely enough my mother never made this!
• Łazanki are a type of Polish pasta often made with buckwheat with the dough being rolled thin and then cut into triangles or rectangles.
• When the Italian Princess Bona Sforza married the Polish King, Zygmunt I Stary (Zygmunt the Old) in the 16th century, she brought with her many Italian chefs.
• Łazanki are thought to have originated from that time.
• The name łazanki comes from the Italian for large flat rectangles of pasta – lasagna(singular) lasagne(plural) – the –ki ending indicates a diminutive in Polish – so these are small and rectangular.
• I tried out a recipe for wheat łazanki with spelt flour- they were so-so – I bet my babcia (grandmother) made much better ones!
• I could try using my pierogi dough recipe with wheat flour next time.
• I tried out a dough for buckwheat łazanki – this was quite reasonable – I might make these again.
• *
• Many people now just use ready bought flat pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle.
• Break up the dry pasta or snip it up at the end.
• Boil the pasta as per the instructions – do not over cook it.

Ingredients

• 250g flat pasta (such as tagliatelle) (broken up)
• ½ head  white or sweetheart cabbage – shredded
• 1 onion – diced
• 250g Polish kiełbasa (sausage) or smoked bacon – chopped
• Butter
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Method

• Cook the pasta as per the instructions.
• Steam the cabbage.
• Fry the onion in quite a bit of butter until soft and golden.
• Add the Polish kiełbasa (sausage) or smoked bacon.
• Fry gently.
• Add the steamed cabbage and stir well.
• Add the mixture to the drained pasta.
• Mix well together.
• Season to taste.

Spelt flour

Buckwheat flour

If I have to choose I would say I prefer the dish with bacon.

With Polish Sausage

With Polish Sausage

With Bacon

With Bacon