In many Polish homes this dish, sauerkraut with mushrooms (kapusta z grzybami), appears on the Christmas Eve table next to fish, salads and herring. It’s vegan, meat‑free, cozy, and full of earthy mushroom flavor, and the same mixture often ends up as a filling for pierogi or baked pastries.
When growing up, I wasn’t the biggest fan of cabbage dishes. They felt “too grown‑up” for me. Now, after leaving IT and spending my days teaching pierogi and guiding food tours in Kraków, this combination of tangy sauerkraut and wild mushrooms tastes like the most Polish thing you can cook in December.
Sauerkraut with mushrooms
Ingredients
- 40 g dried wild mushrooms (like porcini)
- 800 g sauerkraut, with its brine
- 1 large onion
- 2–3 bay leaves
- 4–5 allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional, but very Polish)
- 3-4 tablespoons canola oil
- Black pepper
- A pinch of sugar
Directions
- Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight. Next day, drain them but keep the soaking liquid.
- Move the mushrooms to a small pot, cover with fresh water, and simmer for about 20 minutes until soft. Drain again, keeping the cooking water as well, then chop the mushrooms finely.
- Taste your sauerkraut. If it’s extremely sour, rinse it briefly and squeeze out the water; if you like it sharp, skip the rinse.
- Pour the reserved mushroom soaking and cooking liquid into a larger pot (strain if needed), add the sauerkraut, bay leaves, allspice and caraway. Add a bit of extra water if the liquid doesn’t quite cover the cabbage.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then cook on low heat for about 30–40 minutes, until the sauerkraut softens and the flavours come together.
- While the cabbage cooks, finely chop the onion. Heat oil or butter in a pan and fry the onion on medium heat until soft and translucent.
- When the sauerkraut is tender, fish out the bay leaves and allspice. If the strands are long, chop the sauerkraut a bit.
- Add the chopped sauerkraut and chopped mushrooms to the pan with onions. Season with black pepper and small pinch of sugar to balance it.
- Cook everything together for 15-20 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is fairly dry and well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serving
Serve it as a warm side dish on your Polish Christmas Eve table, next to fish or other vegetable dishes. Or as a filling for pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms, just let it cool completely before using. Or inside a Christmas kulebiak or another savoury pastry with yeast or puff dough.
Magda's Cauldron 
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