Holiday Meal Hankering: Kapusta

The other day I had a hankering for some old flavors of home. "Kapusta" is a Polish/Ukranian/Russian dish in many variations, that is basically a cabbage and sauerkraut dish with occassional meat added to it. My mother made it EVERY year, for Christmas eve, Easter and my brother's birthday, since it was his favorite. Being away from home for the holidays has me missing old family traditions and recipes, and this one, after many years of attempts at tweaking my Mom's recipe--has finally reached a pinnacle of "just like Mom's" to me.

I make mine a little healthier and usually omit the kielbasa or bacon, but if you're feeling decadent or not a vegetarian, it DEFINITELY adds flavor. My mother would also use wild,dried mushrooms, along with some of the water saved from reconstituting the mushrooms for added flavor.

This dish is also one of my favorite low cal, low carb, diet friendly dishes. It makes a huge batch and leaves me something to pick at in the fridge or a lunch side dish for a few days. I recently passed it on to a friend and I hope he makes it and likes it as much as I do! I know it takes a special person to appreciate the tang of a good cabbage and kraut dish, heh.


INGREDIENTS:
1-2 tbs Olive oil
2-3 tablespoons butter (I use Earth Balance or Smart Balance) - this keeps it creamy and moist, so don't skimp
1 tbs sugar (or a packet of splenda)
2-3 bay leaves
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 can of mushrooms (if you're lazy) chopped, or 1 package of fresh crimini mushrooms chopped (optional)
1/2 cup of sugar free ketchup (or you can use a small can of tomato paste)
1/2 large head green cabbage, chopped
1 large can or jar sauerkraut -RINSED
1 can of tomatoes, chopped - drained (this is optional. My mother only used ketchup or tomato paste for a bit of sugar and balanced acidity and tomato flavor. If you like tomatoes a lot, or want more texture, throw in the canned tomatoes, but I usually don't)
1/2 cup shredded carrots (optional)
4 slices bacon (this is optional. It adds flavor, but also fat, so I opt out of it, but you can also try turkey bacon slices)
1 pounds lean turkey kielbasa (or you can substitute chicken apple sausage) *This is also optional if you want it vegetarian.
salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 cloves chopped garlic, to taste

**This can be made on a stove top in a dutch oven, stirred every 15 minutes or so, or baked in an oven at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, stirred every so often as well.

The How-To:

1. Chop the mushrooms, onions and bacon.
2. In a medium size pot with the butter, add a tbs-2 of olive oil (so you don't burn the butter) saute the mushrooms, onions and bacon on medium heat until the onions are a golden color.
3. Add the bay leaves (remember to take them out at the end), salt, pepper and garlic. Saute another few minutes, but watch you don't overcook or burn the garlic
4. Shred the cabbage. Add to the pot with carrots and cover.
5. Cut the kielbasa into small slices (about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick, like little coins) and add to the pot. This is usually already cooked, so you want it to finish cooking in the pot. Alternatively, you can also brown it first separately, set it aside and then throw it in at the end, which I do. I like the browned crispy flavor, but that's me.
6. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until the cabbage starts to get limp (about 15 minutes give or take.)
7. Add the sauerkraut. (If you are a major vinegar fan, add sauerkraut without rinsing, otherwise RINSE it. This makes it less harsh and sour/ tangy.)
8. Add the sugar - this balances the acidity of the sauerkraut.
9. Add the ketchup or can of tomato paste. I might reserve some at first, (half first, half towards the last part of cooking) until you reach a flavor balance you like. You don't want it tasting like a tomato sauce or covering up the actual cabbage/kraut flavor. I think it gives the dish a nice orange/red color and really boosts the flavor. Then again, you don't want a strictly tangy sour dish either.
10. Stir often. This dish likes to get browned very quickly on the bottom so don't leave it alone for too long. Whole cooking time is about 40 minutes.


This makes a LOT, so it's actually very tasty the next day too, when i like it best. You could easily get 6-8 servings of out this batch. I did all the saute and stirring action on top, and then baked it in the oven for about 30 min, stirring it every 10-15 or so.