The traditional Polish dish, haluski, is a meager meal of sustenance, but it belongs to the category of comfort food in my books. It’s a nostalgic dish that is easy to prepare. The high caloric nature made it a cultural staple during hard long winters and in economically difficult times during war and peace across Eastern Europe.
The aroma of food that has nourished your body and soul at a young age will stick with you for a lifetime. Cue the bouquet of sautéed cabbage, onions, and garlic with essence of cracked black pepper. The basic ingredients of haluski blended with boiled egg noodles (or potato dumplings) and butter are perfect and adequate as is.
“Elevating” this classic dish refers to adding tasty optional proteins and veggies to upgrade it to a full meal. It’s about taking advantage of some available luxury or choice items.
Adding mushrooms to a dish is common within Polish traditions. In many parts of Eastern and Western Europe, foraging wild mushrooms in the fall is embedded in the culture. Drying or pickling mushrooms allows them to last the winter and beyond. The prime wild mushroom is the Boletus edulis. The Polish call it Borowik szlachetny. The French refer to it as cèpe de Bordeaux and many Americans know the Italian name, porcini. The full earthy flavor of this delicacy can be used to enhance fresh widely available varieties like white button or baby bella mushrooms.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 pound green cabbage, chopped
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 1 ounce reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms (or 8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, chopped)
- ¼ pound butter
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon black cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces dried egg noodles
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
Preparation
1. With olive oil, saute cabbage and shallots at a high temperature until they start to become translucent. The high heat adds a roasted or smoky note.
2. Add mushrooms, butter, garlic, black pepper and salt and saute for an additional 8–10 minutes at a medium temperature.
3. Boil noodles in salted water for approximately 7–9 minutes and strain.
4. Blend cabbage mix into the noodles and serve with a side of cottage cheese.
About this recipe
Note: To reconstitute, place dried mushrooms in a bowl with enough room-temperature water to completely submerge them. Soak for 20–30 minutes. Strain, but keep the flavorful liquid. Rinse off any grit that may still be on the mushrooms. Then, gently squeeze or press mushrooms to extract additional liquid.
Strain your flavor-packed mushroom liquid through a sieve or cheesecloth. This can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen to be added to a caldo or broth for another recipe.
