Cabbage with Mushrooms {Kapusta z grzybami}
Kapusta z Grzybami [kah-poos-tah z gshi-bah-mee] is a vegetarian version of bigos, by Poles often called “bigos jarski”. It is prepared with both fresh cabbage and sauerkraut, dried wild mushrooms and fresh mushrooms and spices. It’s tangy and aromatic, and fills my kitchen with smells of the home I grew up in. I love sauerkraut dishes and I’ve been craving cabbage for the past few days, so I’m making some of my favorite dishes this week (ate pierogi twice this week ๐ )
Cabbage with Mushrooms {Kapusta z Grzybami}
Ingredients
- About 1 c / 20 g of dried mushrooms
- ยฝ head of a medium cabbage
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 whole peppercorns and allspice berries (each)
- 1 tsp salt
- One 14 oz / 500 g can of sauerkraut
- 16-20 oz / 500-700 g of baby bellas / button mushrooms
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
Instructions
Place dried mushrooms in a small pot, add enough boiling water to cover, set aside until mushrooms rehydrate a bit (about 10-15 minutes).
In the meantime, shred cabbage and cut into smaller pieces. Place in a large pot with 1 ยฝ cups / 350 milliliters of water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries, and salt. Boil on medium heat until cabbage softens (only about 5 minutes). Add sauerkraut (I don't drain my sauerkraut, nor do I rinse it. If you like your kraut a bit milder, rinse and drain it before this step). Continue cooking on medium-low.
Clean and slice button mushrooms. Sautรฉ in butter until golden brown around the edges, then add them to the cabbage mixture. Sautรฉ chopped onion (add a bit more butter if needed), and also add to the pot.
After dried mushrooms rehydrate, boil for about 10 minutes on low (check if they're soft; if not, boil for a bit longer. Add more water if needed). When mushrooms are soft, dump the water from boiling them into the cabbage mixture. Chop wild mushrooms and also add to the cabbage.
Add tomato paste and continue cooking for a total cooking time of about 1 hour. Turn off and set aside to cool. Best if cooked again the next day. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, cook for another hour and a half or so, stirring occasionally.
For meat-eaters out there, try a recipe for Bigos {Hunter’s Stew}, similar cabbage and sauerkraut dish with addition of variety of meats.
Happy cooking!
Anna
*if you don’t have a Polish or Italian grocery in your area, you can purchase dried mushrooms online, I get mine here. I like this particular blend, as it has some wild mushrooms in it, not only shiitake and oysters. A large container like this will last me about 6 months. If you’re going to be doing more Polish cooking, I recommend getting a large container like this. Use them to make aromatic, fall mushroom soup, mushroom souce to be served with dumplings, or addition to stews and soups.
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Hi Anna
Where do you get your wold mushrooms? No one that I can find in or near Cincinnati has them.
There is a link in my recipe where I got them on line.
They also sell a large container of dried wild mushrooms at Costco. Itโs nice to have when the mood strikes.
I published your Polish Christmas dinner to a Polish food and culture site on FB. Many people have appreciated it.
Super!!!
How do you get the little spices out? I dont like chomping on whole allspice. We call them kabobbies in my family.
If I see them, Iโll take them out. If not, I donโt. Iโve bitten into a peppercorn many times๐
wow your recipes sound great. I was searching for Polish mushroom soup recipe after receiving a pound of dried mixed mushrooms in the mail today. Hopefully there are some European shrooms in the mix. I think there is.
I like your soup recipe, I will try it first. Just returned from a German/Polish restaurant that makes great mushroom soup and killer mushroom sauce on the schnitzel. I am thinking your mushroom sauce recipe might work well for schnitzel. What do you think?
Oh yes, mushroom sauce will work great. Adjust thickness by adding more flour, if needed. Good luck!
Hello! I want to make this for a large group. How many servings does it make, as a side dish or main?
The 2nd day cook makes it so nice and soft. I’ll be eating it all week for lunches!
Soooo good. Soooo easy.
I have two young children. It’s hard to cook anything, ever without either burning it or ending up cold. A recipe I can cook for hours and don’t have to stand over and watch intensely is wonderful.
๐ love it!
I used dried mushrooms in the cabbage/mushroom filling when I made pierogi. The taste was a little to strong for me. Would not using the liquid from the dried mushrooms affect the taste of this dish?
It definitely will. If you feel itโs too strong for your palate just skip it. ๐๐ป Over time you may find that you like the stronger flavor of dried mushrooms and will adjust again. Happy cooking!
Just the right spice blend.
Do you also use the stems of the fresh mushrooms? Or do you take them out?
Yes, stems and caps. No need to waste. ๐
Are you supposed to only add the water from the dried mushrooms or the both the water and the died mushrooms (after they get soft) to the cabbage mixture?
Yes, just slice the mushrooms, if they werenโt already.
First time making this. Can I add bacon?