Best 6 Traditional Polish Sauerkraut Recipes

KIEłBASA SAUSAGE AND BRAISED SAUERKRAUT (QUICK BIGOS)

Steps:

• Have a little taste of the sauerkraut. If it's too sour, use a colander and rinse it in cold water, then drain it.
• Roughly chop the sauerkraut, pieces shouldn't be longer than 1 inch (2.5 cm).
• Peel the onion, chop it finely.
• Peel the apples, cut into quarters and remove the core.
• Slice both sausages into rounds, roughly 0.5 inch (around 1 cm) thick. Slice the bacon into thin slices.
• Set up your oven to 356°F / 180°C, we'll need it soon.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of butter. Add chopped onion, season it lightly with salt, cook for a minute on medium heat, stirring from time to time.
• Add in sausage and bacon slices. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly, as the onions start to brown. Take it off the heat. If you're using a regular frying pan, move its contents into an oven-proof dish.
• Add chopped sauerkraut, spices (4 bay leaves, 5 allspice berries, 5 juniper berries) and apples.
• Generously season with freshly ground black pepper and optionally with salt as well (careful though - sauerkraut, kiełbasa and bacon are very salty already).
• Pour in the chicken stock, enough to cover the sauerkraut. Cover the dish with a lid.
• Place the dish in the oven for 90 minutes. After that time take the dish out and stir well. If it's too dry, add some more stock (or water).
• Cover again and return to the oven for another 90 minutes.
• Serve warm with some bread or potatoes on the side.

POLISH BRAISED SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Drain the sauerkraut, keeping the juice (we won't use it here, but feel free to drink it - it's very healthy!). Have a taste - if the sauerkraut is extremely sour, it's worth giving it a rinse under running water first, then squeeze it out.
• Roughly chop the sauerkraut, so that the strings of fermented cabbage aren't too long.
• Move the sauerkraut into a deep frying pan/skillet.
• Pour in enough hot water to nearly cover the sauerkraut.
• Add in 2 tablespoons of butter (don't worry, it will melt on its own), 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 5 black peppercorns and 2-3 allspice berries.
• Cover with a lid and braise until soft. Sauerkraut will become soft after around 40 to 50 minutes of cooking. Monitor the process from time to time, making sure nothing boils over or sticks to the pan. Add more water if necessary.
• [optional step: apple] After 25 minutes of braising (somewhere around the half-way mark), add an apple. Peel one small sweet apple (weighing roughly 3.5 oz / 100 g before peeling) and chop it finely. You can also grate it instead (using the largest holes). Add the apple pieces into the sauerkraut and continue braising.
• [optional step: bacon] As the braising is nearing the end, let's fry the bacon: Chop the smoked bacon into cubes (or small pieces) and fry them up on a separate frying pan until lightly golden. Usually bacon renders enough of its own fat, so no additional cooking fat is required - but if your bacon is very lean, feel free to grease the pan with some oil.
• Add fried bacon into the braised kraut, fold it in.
• Add chopped onions into the same frying pan (same one we used for cooking bacon). Sauté them for a few minutes until they turn translucent.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour into the onions, and stir them in (with a pan-friendly spoon or a spatula).
• Add in half a cup of water and stir continuously. Increase the heat and bring into a near-boil (keep on stirring!).
• Move the contents of the frying pan (onions + roux) into the braising sauerkraut. Stir everything together.
• Have a little taste. Does it need some more salt and pepper? If so, season it a bit more, I usually do. If it tastes a bit too acidic for your liking, add a pinch of sugar. Stir everything together and switch off the heat.
• [optional step] Chop fresh dill finely and fold it into the sauerkraut. Serve hot.

KAPUSTA (SAUERKRAUT)

Steps:

• Sauté bacon bits until almost crispy. Add butter and onions and cook for about 5 minutes until onions are lightly golden.
• Rinse sauerkraut in a strainer under gently running cold water and squeeze out thoroughly to remove excess water; add to the bacon and onion mixture.
• Add the peeled, grated potato (or the carrots or apple).
• Add chicken broth, brown sugar, bay leaves, and seasonings. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until everything is heated thoroughly. Transfer to a roasting pan.
• Cover and bake in 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes up to 1 hour until kapusta is browned slightly.
• Stir occasionally and add water or chicken broth if necessary (push kapusta aside and check bottom of roasting pan for liquid).

KAPUSTA

Steps:

• Add the bacon to a large frying pan over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered.
• Add the onions an cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened and light golden brown. If the pan is too dry, you can add a teaspoon or two of olive oil.
• Stir in the sauerkraut, brown sugar, and water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until heated through and light golden brown.

POLISH KAPUSTA

Steps:

• Cook onion and kielbasa in frying pan until onions are translucent.
• Drain liquid from sauerkraut.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Transfer to a buttered casserole dish.
• Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

TRADITIONAL SAUERKRAUT WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Weigh the shredded cabbage (as cabbages vary in size and weight) to ensure the salt to cabbage ratio is correct. The amount of salt you use should come to about 1.5-2.5%, but no more than 3%, of the cabbage weight.
• In a large bowl, mix and massage the salt through the cabbage thoroughly, making sure to distribute the salt evenly.
• Let it sit to sweat a bit-maybe 10 minutes. This is simply to make the next step easier. This is a good time to get your vessel cleaned and to rest up for the next stage.
• With your pounder, pound quite energetically for about 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is dripping with its own salty water when you pick up a handful. This part is important as you need this liquid-it's your brine.
• You can also use the dough hook of a stand mixer to do the pounding part, which can speed things up somewhat. Don't let it run for too long though, only a few minutes. Using a mixer is easy and great for people who are doing this a lot and in large batches, but it takes quite a bit of the emotional release and fun out of it.
• Next, mix in the caraway seeds (if using).
• Put the mixture into the jar, packing it down tightly as you go using the pounder. Push down well, particularly at the end to coax out any more brine. You need the brine to cover the cabbage.
• Don't pack the cabbage all the way to the top; leave some headroom at the top of the jar to allow for a bit of growth and movement and, of course, the weight. You don't want the liquid touching the top of the lid, as it will end up spewing out of your air-lock or up out of your lid.
• Cover with a cabbage leaf (the follower), the weight and then your chosen lid or system.
• Depending on your ferment, you can start trying it as soon as you'd like, but the less you fiddle with it in the first 2 weeks, the better. It is ready when you think it is delicious. With the right system and temperature, you can leave it to ferment for months before refrigeration.
• If you used a crock, you'll need to decant the kraut to smaller jars before you refrigerate, unless you have a walk-in cool room, or large cellar. (Lucky you.) It will keep in the fridge for 12 months or more. Use your senses.