Recipe: Kielbasa and cabbage
This recipe comes courtesy of my mother, who made it her own by switching kielbasa for chicken in the original recipe that was passed to her decades ago.
It was a staple at my house growing up, served along with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the sauce. For me, it's just the kind of delicious home-cooked comfort food that I'm looking for on these cold (spring) days. And, with a head of cabbage priced at less than a $1 at many stores this time of year, it's an affordable dinner too.
Kielbasa and Cabbage
One ring of kielbasa
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 medium head
2 tsp. chicken boullion (I just add one cube of the low-sodium variety)
1 can of evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups of half and half
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add kielbasa, onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent. Add more butter if the skillet is too dry.
Slice the head of cabbage into thin slices. Cut it in half or thirds to make it easier to eat.
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add the cabbage to the drippings in the skillet. Sprinkle chicken boullion over the cabbage. I add the cube, which melts as the cabbage cooks. Stir fry until the cabbage is cooked through. This might take about 15 minutes. I often fill the pan with cabbage, let it cook down and then add some more until it's all cooked down.
Once the cabbage is cooked, add the meat back in. Pour the half and half or evaporated milk over the mixture in the skillet. Bring to a boil. Toss so that the cream/milk coats the cabbage and meat. The sauce will thicken a little bit as it cooks. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Note: If you want to use chicken instead, substitute two boneless chicken breasts for the kielbasa. Cut up the chicken into one-inch squares. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, salt and pepper. Melt the butter in the skillet, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Then remove the meat from the pan and finish the rest of the recipe starting with adding the cabbage to the skillet.
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