Christmas Eve dinner in Poland consists of traditional twelve dishes and is typically meatless. One of the dishes that is often found on the table is sauerkraut with mushrooms. This is a delicious dish where sauerkraut is cooked with dried mushrooms and onions and served hot.
Makes 4-6 servings. Adapted from kwestiasmaku.com.
Ingredients:
2 oz of dried mushrooms
1.8 lbs of sauerkraut
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 white onion, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
2 allspice peppers
Directions:
1. Rinse dried mushrooms under cold water. Place in a bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover mushrooms. Leave to rehydrate for several hours or overnight.
2. Discard water from mushrooms and pour in 2 cups of new cold water. Boil the mushrooms for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove mushrooms from water (save water for next step) and cut into small pieces.
3. Squeeze liquid out of sauerkraut and chop into small pieces. Place in pot and pour in the saved mushroom water. Add 2 cups of cold water, the bay leaf and the 2 allspice peppers and cook covered for 40 to 45 minutes, until softened.
4. Add peeled and grated carrot to sauerkraut (grate the carrot using medium to large grater openings, don't use the smaller ones). Chop the onion and fry on a pan with olive oil for 2 minutes. Add it, along with the mushrooms, to the sauerkraut. Mix well and cook for another 15 minutes on low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and allspice before serving. Serve hot. Smacznego!