Kapusta for World Food Day

So the other day I came across Giz and Psychgrad's site, and I found out they were participating in an event to raise world awareness about hunger. I personally think this is a great idea, so I knew I wanted to join up. Val over at More Than Burnt Toast, and Ivy at Kopiaste are combining their trans-global powers to hosting, and I want to thank them very much for doing this. Please visit their sites and support this, all you need to do is come up with a family or cultural dish that can feed 6. Check them out for more details.

I have always been very lucky to never have a shortage of food growing up, but I was always told to finish everything. Our dishes were always licked clean, and we never threw anything away. Plates in our home became some kind of vaporizing device, where food that is touching it must be gone by the end of dinner. David Copperfield never had to come and make food disappear.

A nice, cheap, Fall/Winter favorite of mine is Kapusta, which essentially means cabbage in Polish. To Polish Americans like myself, it has taken on a meaning of a cabbage like stew, with some meat, mushrooms, and spices. Cabbage is probably the most important vegetable and food in all of Poland, because it is hearty, nutritious, and can be stored as sauerkraut for the cold winter months, when there is nothing left to eat. While today's supermarkets make it possible to eat anything no matter what time of year it is, I still like to go seasonal, because it just feels right. What? You don't like cabbage? Well, still give this recipe a shot, it's super easy and goes in the slow cooker. I like to get up before I go to clinic and throw this together. By dinner time, the house smells of soury goodness. If you're a health nut like me, you'll be happy to know cabbage has tons of phytochemicals that fight cancer, so eat up :)

All of these amounts, measurements and ingredients can be changed at will. If you're vegetarian or vegan, omit the pork... if you don't like mushrooms (you're crazy, then) leave them out too. You can use whatever you have around the house to throw in the pot with a little imagination. Here's what I do to feed 4-6 people.



Kapusta
Recipe by Adam

-2 lbs. sauerkraut (bagged or jarred)
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1 cup mushooms, dirt dusted off and chopped
-1 lb pork loin, chops, or whatever you have, cut into bite size pieces
-1 can cream of mushroom soup (reduced fat or not)
-1 cup of water
-Salt, pepper, sugar and cloves to taste... it's really up to you

In a medium or large skillet, sautee the onion with some olive oil until it browns a little and becomes very fragrant. This should take only a few minutes. Empty the pan into a small bowl and set aside.

Season the pork with salt and pepper, and fry until lightly brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Add another Tbsp of oil for this step if necessary. Add the pork to the bottom of the crockpot, and then top with the onions.

Open up the sauerkraut and drain using a collander. Rinse under cold water for a few seconds, and squeeze with your hands to get rid of some of the tartness. (If you really don't like the sour or tart taste, you can rinse again, but I don't recommend it).

Add the sauerkraut to the slow cooker, then the mushrooms, and then the can of cream of mushroom soup and water. Stir a few times to mix well, cover and you're done. Set the crock pot on low setting, and let it sit for 8-10 hours. Season to taste. The above are all you need and are pretty authentic. Serve with some nice rye bread, and Wham you have a nice, cheap meal.
Don't blame a dish on it's looks. Kapusta has a really, really good personality, I promise. You just might want to take a tic-tac afterward in case you do any close talking :)