Haluski
My Mother frequently made buttered noodles as a side dish. Occasionally, she made Haluski. I never heard her call it that, but after seeing videos on YouTube, I realized this is what she had been making. There are many variations on this dish. The variations typically depend what part of Eastern Europe your family is from. My maternal Grandmother’s family was from Bohemia/Austria.
From what I can tell, this dish was popular during the depression era. A simple dish of old world comfort food that wouldn’t have cost much to make.
The basics include sautéed/fried cabbage and onions. With noodles mixed in. Simple! The type of noodle seems to be part of the variation. Some recipes call for egg noodles, while other versions use a Spaetzle noodles. I used No Yolks noodles, because this is the way my Mother made it. Some recipes add sliced polish sausage, while others add bacon. The majority of the recipes don’t add any meat, but I believe the polish sausage or bacon give the dish another level of flavor. The Bacon also adds a crunch to the dish. I do put some bacon in.
Haluski is very easy to make. Place the diced cabbage and sliced onions in a large skillet. Add the water, butter, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer on low until everything is tender, stirring as needed. Add a small amount of water while it is cooking if needed. Just before you remove it from the heat, turn the heat up to a low-medium to ensure the water has evaporated. Watch because this is when it will start to brown and caramelize. Remove from the heat.
My Mother liked when the cabbage/onion mixture just started to turn brown to get some of the caramelized flavor mixed in. However, most of the recipes typically just sauté the cabbage and onions and remove it from the heat before it caramelizes.
Next, fill a large pot with lightly salted water. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bring it to a rolling boil. Stir in egg noodles and return to a boil. Cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain well. Add the noodles to the skillet and mix in with the cabbage and onion mixture.
If you are going to add polish sausage (sliced) or bacon, you will need to cook that and mix it in before serving. Remember to drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
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Haluski
A simple dish of old world comfort food that doesn't cost much to make.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage, large dice
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 package of egg or spaetzle noodles
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sliced polish sauces or diced bacon (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Chop the cabbage into a large dice. Slice the onions.
- Step 2 Place the diced cabbage and sliced onions in a large skillet. Add the water, butter, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer on low until everything is tender, stirring as needed. Add a small amount of water while it is cooking if needed. Just before you remove it from the heat, turn the heat up to a low-medium to ensure the water has evaporated. Watch because this is when it will start to brown and caramelize. Remove from the heat.
- Step 3 Fill a large pot with lightly salted water. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bring it to a rolling boil. Stir in egg noodles and return to a boil. Cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain well.
- Step 4 Add the noodles to the skillet and mix in with the cabbage and onion mixture.
- Step 5 If you are going to add polish sausage (sliced) or bacon, you will need to cook that before serving. Remember to drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
Sounds good. I would like the onions/cabbage caramelized a bit. BTW, mom’s family was from Bohemia/Yugoslavia.
Sandy, Mom’s family is from Bohemia, present day Czech Republic. However, Uncle Jim found Great Grandma’s birth certificate. At that time, Bohemia was under Austrian rule. So Uncle Jim, Uncle John and myself have been using Bohemian / Austrian. I guess we could say, Bohemian / Austrian / Czech.