Smoked Kielbasa with Polish Caramelized Cabbage (Kapusta)

This cabbage is anything but cabbagey.  Hours of slow cooking transform this humble vegetable into something incredibly mild, sweet, and dare I say decadent.  Most of the work is done once you park it in the oven to cook, so plan to make this on a cold day when you can cuddle up on the couch waiting for a great meal.

Ingredients

About 4 dried Borowicki mushrooms

One small onion finely sliced

2 Tbs butter

One small head of purple or green cabbage

One small can of sauerkraut

½ teaspoon truffle oil

4 short links or one long smoked kielbasa sausage

Horseradish or spicy mustard for dipping

Dried Borowicki mushrooms have a very distinctly meaty flavor with a truffle-like, umami background note.  They’re sold at Polish markets and online, but shitake mushrooms and a bit of extra truffle oil would probably be a fair substitution.  To prepare the mushrooms, cover in a small bowl with boiling water (1/3 cup) to rehydrate. 

Floppy but delicious rehydrated Borowicki mushrooms

In the meantime, slice your onion and sauté until translucent then add to a large baking pan (the more surface area the better).

Onions - duh!

Cut your cabbage head into quarters, remove the core, and slice thinly – think coleslaw – and add this to the baking pan.

I chose purple because it was prettier (and color supposedly = more nutrients in food)

After about 15 minutes, the mushrooms can be chopped finely and added to the pan as well.  Add the soaking liquid to the pan as well, pouring slowly so none of the grit at the bottom of the bowl makes its way into the pan.

Chopping the 'shrooms on a purple cabbage stained cutting board

Drain your sauerkraut into a fine mesh sieve and press to remove most of the juices.  The end dish will be much too tangy if you skip this step.

can of 'kraut

Add a bit of truffle oil, a few generous grinds of pepper, and salt to taste to the pan and mix with all of the ingredients to combine.  Place the pan in a 325 degree oven.  You’ll want to check on the mix every 30 minutes or so to give it a stir. 

Truffle oil is a good investment and a little goes a long way

The full cabbagey mix ready to be baked

The goal now is to reduce the amount of moisture in the cabbage mix so that it slowly begins to caramelize.  The mix will be very wet as when the cabbage begins breaking down, but over time you will notice the mix beginning to dry out.  Check on it and give it a stir every 30 minutes or so. You’ll want to cook the cabbage until it is very soft and there is no moisture in the pan when stirring (typically a little over two hours). 

Once you cabbage has caramelized, nestle the kielbasa into the cabbage and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until it has warmed through. 

Delicious and not overly salty smoked kielbasa from Heritage Meats

Caramelized cabbage with kielbasa ready to be heated

The finished product

All dished up!

Serve hot with spicy mustard or horseradish and a good dark beer.