Tag: Cabbage

Fresh Cabbage & Apples

  • I came across a Polish idea to cook white cabbage with apples.
  • The writer did not give a method nor did they say whether they made it sweet or tart.
  • I went for a slightly sweet version and I thought the result was delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 sweetheart cabbage or a small white cabbage
  • 2 large Bramley apples
  • 500ml water
  • 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Method

  • Preheat the oven to GM 3 – 160°C.
  • Use a large oven proof dish with a lid.
  • Chop the cabbage into rough squares.
  • Peel and core the apples and chop these into chunks.
  • Mix the cabbage, apples and sugar together and put in the dish.
  • Add the water.
  • Cook for around 1 hour.
  • Keep an eye on this about half way through as the apples can fluff up and escape from the dish.
  • *
  • Serve with roast chicken, duck or pork.
  • *
  • You can add part of the sugar and add the rest to taste at the end.

  • Served in Bavarian china with a forget me knots pattern

Cabbage Carrot & Pear Salad

  • This is a variation on my usual cabbage salad.
  • Mayonnaise is not used just lemon juice as a dressing. 
  • Rather than apples I used pears for this salad.
  • Conference pears or other hard pears are good for this.
  • The pears need to be ripe but not too “mushy”.
  • I would peel the pears as the skins are often very tough.

Ingredients

  • ½ head of white cabbage
  • 3-4 hard pears
  • 2 carrots
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Chopped flat leafed parsley or chives to serve

Method

  • Shred the cabbage into fine shreds.
  • Peel the pears and then coarse grate them.
  • Coarse grate the carrots.
  • Mix them all together.
  • Pour the lemon juice over them and mix.
  • Sprinkle with flat leaved parsley or chives.

Ukrainian Salad

  • I bought this jar of salad from my Polish shop.
  • It is Sałatka ukraińska – Ukrainian salad.
  • It was very good.
  • Good to have in as a standby.
  • I wanted to make a similar salad.
  • I looked this up and could not find a recipe similar with beetroots.
  • I noted down the ingredients written on the label.
  • Vinegar and sugar were used in the jar – I used lemon juice and honey.
  • The salad will come out differently each time if you change the proportions of the vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium boiled beetroots
  • 1 onion
  • ½ a small white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage
  • 1 large or 2 medium carrots
  • 1 red pepper
  • Juice from 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of runny – honey 
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  • Grate the beetroots using a coarse grater.
  • Chop the onion into fine pieces.
  • Shred the cabbage into fine strands.
  • Grate the carrot using a coarse grater
  • Chop the pepper into small pieces.
  • Mix all the vegetables together.
  • Mix the lemon juice and honey.
  • Mix the dressing with the vegetables
  • Season to taste.

Note

  • Tastes good straight away but can be kept in the fridge for several days as well.

    Cabbage & Mushrooms

    • Cabbage and mushrooms are a classic combination in Polish cookery.
    • Recipes abound for combinations  using fresh cabbage through to sauerkraut, cultivated or wild mushrooms – fresh or dried – the list is endless.
    • Recently I wrote about kulebiak a large Polish pastry, which had a filling of fresh cabbage and fresh mushrooms.
    • This filling  can be served hot as a side dish – it goes well with hot roast meats.

    Ingredients

    • Small head of white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
    • 250 -300g of mushrooms
    • 1 large onion
    • 100g of butter
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • Optional – 2-3 hard boiled eggs

     

    Method

    • Shred and then chop the cabbage into small pieces.
    • Chop the onion into small pieces.
    • Chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
    • Melt half the butter in a large deep frying pan.
    • Slowly cook the onions and the cabbage but do not brown.
    • Cover with a lid and let them simmer till they are both soft.
    • Stir occasionally – you might need to add a little hot water.
    • In another pan melt the rest of the butter and fry the mushrooms.
    • Add the mushrooms to the cabbage and onion mixture and mix well.
    • Heat gently together to remove most of the excess liquid.
    • Season to taste.
    • Sprinkle the chopped hard boiled eggs on top – optional.
    • Serve hot.

    Note

    You might want to look at an earlier post for Sauerkraut & Mushrooms

     

     

    Kulebiak with Cabbage & Mushrooms

    • Kulebiak is the nearest there is in Polish Cookery to a pie or a pasty.
    • It can be made with a yeast dough, a short crust type of pastry or puff pastry.
    • It is very much a large version of   paszteciki – the small savoury pastries,  which I posted in November 2019.
    • Popular fillings include cabbage & mushrooms of various sorts, hard boiled eggs and fish.
    • Many people serve this for Wigilia –  the Christmas Eve meal.
    • Sometimes the several fillings are put in as layers.
    • Here I have made it with a yeast dough with a fresh cabbage and fresh mushroom filling.
    • It is best served hot.
    • *
    • In the early part of the 20th century Auguste Escoffier, the French chef, wrote about this dish and called it Coulibiac.
    • Was this the start of dishes such as Salmon en croute?

    Ingredients – Yeast Dough

    • 250g plain flour or a mixture of spelt & plain flour
    • 1 tablespoon of dried yeast
    • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
    • 125-150ml of milk
    • 1 egg & 1 yolk
    • 40g butter – melted
    • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 egg white & water for a glaze

    Method – Yeast Dough

    • Put 50g of the flour into a bowl.
    • Add the yeast and sugar.
    • Add enough of the milk to make the mixture as thick as double cream.
    • Leave in a warm place to bubble and froth up.
    • *
    • Place the rest of the flour into a bowl.
    • Add the salt and mix.
    • Lightly beat the whole egg  and the yolk together.
    • Add the egg mixture to the flour.
    • Add the yeast mixture to the flour.
    • Start to mix together using a wooden spoon.
    • Slowly add as much milk as needed.
    • Bring the dough together using your hands until it leaves the side of the bowl.
    • Knead the dough lightly until it is smooth.
    • *
    • Flatten the dough into a rectangle.
    • Slowly pour on the butter and fold over the dough.
    • Keep kneading the buttery dough until it is all incorporated.
    • Knead a little longer until you have a nice glossy ball.
    • Put the dough back into a bowl.
    • Cover with a cloth or a shower cap and leave to rise in a warm place.
    • *
    • Grease a baking tray.
    • Take the pastry and shape into a rough rectangle.
    • Roll out into a large rectangle around a finger width in thickness.
    • Place the cold filling in the centre lengthwise.
    • Fold the two long sides over the filling so the pastry just meets and is not too thick.
    • Fold over the short sides.
    • Turn the roll over so the “seams” are underneath.
    • Place on the baking tray, cover and leave to rise.
    • *
    • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180 °C.
    • *
    • Lightly beat the egg white with a little water and brush this on the top.
    • Bake in the oven for around 1 hour.
    • *
    • Best served hot – but still good cold
    • Cut into thick slices to serve.

    Ingredients – Filling

    • Small head of white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
    • 250g of mushrooms
    • 1 large onion
    • 100g of butter
    • 2 or more hard boiled eggs
    • Salt & pepper to taste

     

    Method

    • Shred and then chop the cabbage into small pieces.
    • Chop the onion into small pieces.
    • Chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
    • Melt the half the butter in a large deep frying pan.
    • Slowly cook the onions and the cabbage but do not brown.
    • Cover with a lid and let them simmer till they are both soft.
    • Stir occasionally – you might need to add a little hot water.
    • In another pan melt the rest of the butter and fry the mushrooms.
    • Add the mushrooms to the cabbage and onion mixture and mix well.
    • Heat gently together to remove all the excess liquid.
    • Leave to go cold.
    • Rough chop the hard boiled eggs and add them to the mixture.
    • Season to taste.

    Note – this might be more filling than you need – you can always freeze what is left 

    Served on a vintage Pyrex platter and Royal Doulton – Carnation plates – 1982-98

     

     

    Duszona Kapusta- 2 options

    Duszona kapusta is usually translated as braised cabbage. However it literally means suffocated cabbage, which I think is a lovely phrase. It indicates that the dish is cooked with the minimum amount of liquid with a lid on the pan whilst it is cooking.

    A few months ago Mari (Mariana) who blogs as gourmermarichef.com  posted her recipe for duszona kapusta.  So I thought I would add my versions.

    I used sweetheart cabbage as I really like this but you can use any white cabbage and even savoy cabbage ( but you will have to cook this a little longer).

    My mother would have cooked this till the cabbage was very soft – I prefer to cook it for less time so the cabbage still has a little bite.

    Ingredients – version 1

    • 1 sweetheart cabbage
    • 1 small onion – finely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons of butter
    • 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
    • 125ml of vegetable stock (can be from a cube or powder)
    • Salt and pepper to taste.

    Method

    • Use a deep frying pan – with a lid.
    • Gently fry the onion in the butter till soft and golden.
    • Finely shred the cabbage.
    • Add the cabbage and stir.
    • Cook for a few minutes.
    • Add the caraway seeds and the stock.
    • Stir and bring to a gently simmer.
    • Put on the lid (a glass one is good) and simmer until the cabbage is soft.
    • Check the progress and stir a few times to make sure the liquid does not dry out.
    • Adjust the seasoning and serve.

    Served in Royal Doulton –  Carnation 1982 – 1998

    Version -2

    Ingredients – version 2

    • As version 1
    • Plus 125ml of soured cream

    Method – version 2

    • As version 1 until the cabbage is cooked.
    • Add the soured cream, stir and cook for another minute.
    • Adjust the seasoning and serve.

    Served in Royal Doulton Tapestry – 1966-1988

     

     

    Fruity Cabbage Salad

    Here is a salad made with one of Poland’s favourite vegetables – cabbage.

    It is a more fruity variation of a cabbage & orange salad I posted over three years ago!

    Ingredients

    • A small white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage
    • 2 oranges
    • 3 eating apples – red skinned for colour contrast.
    • 1 tin of  pineapples
    • 80g raisins or sultanas
    • A pinch of salt & pepper to taste
    • *
    • Dressing – Mayonnaise & pineapple juice

    Method

    • Peel the oranges removing all the pith.
    • Cut them into slices, separate the segments and then chop these into small pieces.
    • Finely shred and chop the cabbage

     

     

     

    • Core the apples and chop them into small pieces.
    • Drain the pineapples from the juice.
    • Chop the pineapples into small pieces.
    • Mix the cabbage and fruits together.
    • Mix mayonnaise and some pineapple juice together to make a thin dressing.
    • Add the dressing and mix everything well together.
    • You can add salt and pepper here if desired.

    Served here in my mother’s vintage glass bowl.

    I tend to make this salad a while before it is needed as with the magic of osmosis – raisins become plumped up with the juice from the oranges and pineapple. The dressing becomes sweet from the sugars in the raisins.

    This salad goes well with roast dinners, cold smoked meats and Polish style sausages.

    Cabbage & Gherkin Salad

    I had half a sweetheart cabbage left after a meal and not much else in the fridge.

    I put together the ingredients I had and got a delicious new salad.

    Use red onions if you can as these give a good colour contrast.

    Ingredients

    • ½ a sweetheart cabbage
    • 4-5 medium sized gherkins
    • 2 small red onions
    • 3 tablespoons of gherkins liquid from the jar
    • 2-3 tablespoons of full-fat mayonnaise
    • Salt & pepper

    Method

    • Cut the cabbage into fine shreds.
    • Cut the gherkins into round slices.
    • Chop the onions into small pieces.
    • Mix the chopped ingredients with the gherkin liquid and the mayonnaise.
    • Season with salt and pepper.

     

     

    Salad after Fawlty Towers

    Recently I have been watching my box set of Fawlty Towers DVDs, which is still so amusing after all these years.

    Whilst watching the episode with the American guest and the Waldorf salad  – when famously Basil Fawlty says  “I think we’re just out of  waldorfs” – I thought must try that!

    I needed a salad for dinner but realised I did not have all the ingredients so decided to make a similar salad with the ingredients I had.

    I will get all the ingredients for a real Waldorf salad and make that soon.

    Ingredients

    • Half a white or sweetheart cabbage
    • 2 eating apples – I used Braeburn*
    • 100g of walnuts – chopped
    • 2 -3 tablespoons of mayonnaise – full fat is best

    Method

    • Shred and chop the cabbage into fine pieces.
    • Core the apples and chop into small pieces.
    • Mix the cabbage, apples and walnuts together.
    • Mix in the mayonnaise.

    * 

    Braeburn apples originated in New Zealand in the 1950s.

    They are named after Braeburn Orchard where they where first commercially grown.

     

     

     

    Kapuśniak made with Sauerkraut

    In the first year of writing this blog,  I wrote a post – Poles love to eat cabbage and now as I am writing about soups I am going to write about a Polish classic – kapuśniak – cabbage soup.

    There are two types – ones made with fresh cabbage (written about in my previous post) and ones made with sauerkraut.

    Now I am going to write about ones made with sauerkraut and these are certainly soups that have the sour taste loved by Poles.

    As half a large jar is enough for each of the soups, I often freeze the other half of the sauerkraut to use at a later date.

     

    Kapuśniak – Version 1

    Ingredients

    • 400g sauerkraut
    • 200g smoked Polish sausage
    • 1.5 – 2 litres of vegetable stock (can be from powder or cubes)
    • 3-4 peppercorns
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 tablespoons of plain flour
    • 1 large onion
    • Oil for frying (originally pork fat/lard would have been used)
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
    • **
    • More sugar & lemon juice  to adjust the sourness might be needed at the end.

     

    Method

    • Chop the sauerkraut into shorter strands.
    • Chop the sausage into small pieces.
    • Into a large pot of vegetable stock add the sauerkraut, sausage, peppercorns and bay leaf
    • Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and allow it to simmer until the sauerkraut is tender.
    • Chop the onion into small pieces and fry up till nearly charred.
    • Stir in the flour and heat till well browned.
    • Add a couple of tablespoons of soup liquid and stir to get a thick roux.
    • Add this onion mixture to the soup, mixing it in well.
    • Add the sugar.
    • Add salt and pepper if necessary.
    • You might want to adjust the sourness which will depend on the sauerkraut used.
    • I rarely add more lemon juice but sometimes add a bit more sugar.
    • The soup is supposed to be a little sour!

     

     

     

     

     

    Served here in Royal Doulton – Burgundy  -1959 to 1981

    Kapuśniak – Version 2

    Ingredients

    • 400g sauerkraut
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 100g chopped smoked bacon
    • 2 litres of vegetable stock
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 3-4 peppercorns
    • 2 large potatoes
    • 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds
    • 1 – 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • **
    • More sugar & lemon juice  to adjust the sourness might be needed at the end.

    Method

    • Chop the sauerkraut into shorter strands.
    • Chop the bacon into small pieces.
    • Chop the onion into small pieces
    • Into a large pot of vegetable stock add the sauerkraut, sausage, peppercorns and bay leaf
    • Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and allow it to simmer until the sauerkraut is tender.
    • Add the caraway seeds.
    • Chop the potatoes into small to medium chunks.
    • Add the potatoes to the cooked sauerkraut and simmer gently till cooked.
    • Add the sugar.
    • Add salt and pepper if necessary.
    • You might want to adjust the sourness which will depend on the sauerkraut used.
    • I rarely add more lemon juice but sometimes add a bit more sugar.
    • The soup is supposed to be a little sour!

    Caraway Seeds

     

    Served here in Royal Doulton – Tapestry  -1966 to 1988