I had a request from a follower to create a Polish Red Cabbage dish. We PMed back and forth to determine whether she wanted a hot or cold dish, a savory, sweet, or sweet and sour slant, and finally whether or not to include some smoked pork. She decided on hot, savory, and definitely some smoked pork.
Classic polish seasonings include, caraway, bay leaf, juniper berries, dill, and fried onions, all of which are perfect for a hot and savory preparation. An apple complements cabbage nicely adding a sweet/tart flavor – I used a Honeycrisp. For the smoked pork, I chose diced bacon and highly recommend using a hardwood-smoked bacon like hickory or apple. Slab bacon is also a great alternative.
Use a knife or mandolin to cut the cabbage into about 3/16-inch slices; not too thin or they get too soft and mushy while cooking. And finally, a heavy-bottomed pan like a 7-quart Dutch oven for slow, even cooking.
We’re delighted with the end result and hope Barbara is too!
METHOD
Use a spice bag or cheesecloth to hold the juniper berries and bay leaves. This makes for easy removal at the end of cooking.
Place the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan, like a 7-quart Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered, and the bacon is crispy.
Stir in the onions, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring 3 times. Uncover and continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should be lightly fried, but not burned. Turn the heat down if the onions are cooking too fast.
Pour a couple tablespoons of water over the fried onions and stir to loosen the fond on the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over the onions, stir to combine.
Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly to incorporate the flour.
Add the cabbage, apple, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 90 minutes or until the cabbage is tender, but still holding it’s shape.
Remove the spice bag or cheesecloth and stir the dill. Garnish with a few sprigs.
Serve with more smoked pork or sausages, such as Kielbasa.
PrintPolish-Style Red Cabbage
Here’s a Polish-Style Red Cabbage side dish made with fried onions, apple and bacon with typical Polish flavors of caraway, juniper berries, and dill. Serve with more smoked pork or sausages, such as Kielbasa.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
3 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
4 ounces good bacon, diced; slab bacon if you can find it
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup good chicken stock
1 medium red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded, about 8 cups
1 apple, such as Honeycrisp or Macoun, peeled, cored and diced
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
GARNISH
Few sprigs of fresh dill
Instructions
Use a spice bag or cheesecloth to hold the juniper berries and bay leaves. This makes for easy removal at the end of cooking.
Place the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan, like a 7-quart Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered, and the bacon is crispy.
Stir in the onions, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring 3 times. Uncover and continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should be lightly fried, but not burned. Turn the heat down if the onions are cooking too fast.
Pour a couple tablespoons of water over the fried onions and stir to loosen the fond on the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over the onions, stir to combine.
Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly to incorporate the flour.
Add the cabbage, apple, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 90 minutes or until the cabbage is tender, but still holding it’s shape.
Remove the spice bag or cheesecloth and stir the dill. Garnish with a few sprigs.
Keywords: red cabbage, cabbage, polish cabbage, bacon, caraway seeds, juniper berries, bay leaf, apple
Polish-Style Red Cabbage
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
3 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
4 ounces good bacon, diced; slab bacon if you can find it
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup good chicken stock
1 medium red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded, about 8 cups
1 apple, such as Honeycrisp or Macoun, peeled, cored and diced
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
GARNISH
Few sprigs of fresh dill
Instructions
METHOD
Use a spice bag or cheesecloth to hold the juniper berries and bay leaves. This makes for easy removal at the end of cooking.
Place the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan, like a 7-quart Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered, and the bacon is crispy.
Stir in the onions, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring 3 times. Uncover and continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should be lightly fried, but not burned. Turn the heat down if the onions are cooking too fast.
Pour a couple tablespoons of water over the fried onions and stir to loosen the fond on the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over the onions, stir to combine.
Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly to incorporate the flour.
Add the cabbage, apple, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 90 minutes or until the cabbage is tender, but still holding it’s shape.
Remove the spice bag or cheesecloth and stir the dill. Garnish with a few sprigs.
Serve with more smoked pork or sausages, such as Kielbasa.
Keywords: red cabbage, cabbage, polish cabbage, bacon, caraway seeds, juniper berries, bay leaf, apple
