Haluski - they'll love it!

[Mo Mason]

Haluski is an Eastern European/ Polish comfort food and it is so absolutely delicious.  Cabbage, egg noodles, kielbasa, onion, garlic, bacon, and lots of butter... your family will love it.

I just don't know which holiday gathering for which it is best to serve.  Christmas?  Easter?  Thanksgiving?  ... So I bring it to them all, and everyone loves it.

[pubic_assistance]

Bacon AND kielbasa....?

I would need to double up my 'statins for a week. 🤣

[PileDriver]

yes...bacon and kielbasa who you make sure every bit of fat stays in the dish...the cabbage needs to fully coated

[pubic_assistance]

49 minutes ago, PileDriver said:

every bit of fat stays in the dish...

[PileDriver]

you're making me hard...yum

[marylander1940]

On 11/13/2024 at 9:35 AM, pubic_assistance said:

[MikeBiDude]

I’m sure having Haluski a few times a year isn’t going to harm anyone. 

 

[rvwnsd]

Just a quick note - in Polish families this dish is typically not made with bacon and kielbasa. It is made with noodles, cabbage, and butter. The amount of butter per serving would be equivalent to the amount of olive oil in a pasta dish. It isn't unusual for it to be made with vegetable oil with some butter added for flavor. Also, it is served as a side dish and usually for special occasions, often at Easter to celebrate the end of Lent. The main course might be kielbasa, but it could also be chicken, pork, or beef.  In bygone days people gave up eating meat for Lent and would fast on Fridays, which evolved into giving up meat only on Fridays. The Easter feast not only celebrated the holiday, but also the end of the Lenten fast. Hence, the sausage, meat, and butter. 

If you bought kielbasa at a Polish deli, it would be very different than what is sold in your local supermarket (unless your local supermarket specializes in Eastern European food). It is similar to the difference between Italian sausage bought fresh from the meat counter vs that which is sold in the pre-packaged section.  My mother's Polish sausage was so good. Fresh meats, little fat, nicely seasoned. Similar to high-quality Italian sausage but with different seasonings. For example, marjoram would be used instead of basil.

 

[Njguy2]

On 11/19/2024 at 1:20 PM, rvwnsd said:

Just a quick note - in Polish families this dish is typically not made with bacon and kielbasa. It is made with noodles, cabbage, and butter. The amount of butter per serving would be equivalent to the amount of olive oil in a pasta dish. It isn't unusual for it to be made with vegetable oil with some butter added for flavor.

 

Similarly Ukrainian-American families wouldn’t have it with bacon or kielbasa mixed in; the kielbasa would be on the side.  My family, and I still do, would make it with homemade dumplings and also add diced onions to the cabbage and butter.  Most would use flat noodles.

Edited November 22, 2024 by Njguy2

[rvwnsd]

2 hours ago, Njguy2 said:

Similarly Ukrainian-American families wouldn’t have it with bacon or kielbasa mixed in, kielbasa on the side.  My family, and I still do, would make it with homemade dumplings and also add diced onions to the cabbage and butter.  Most would use flat noodles.

It's always funny to see how recipe sites alter recipes and claim they are "traditional." 

[Guest]

I had a friend from Eastern Europe who made authentic haluski (or so she said). One of the best things I've ever eaten. So much grease!

[Deadlift1]

Ive had it where they would put pierogi that fell apart in the boiling process as a substitute for noodles 

[rvwnsd]

23 hours ago, Deadlift1 said:

Ive had it where they would put pierogi that fell apart in the boiling process as a substitute for noodles 

Oooooh! That sounds delicious.

A variation on the theme is kluski noodle tossed with butter and seasoned ground chicken. It's a less fatty/greasy noodle dish. Every time the family went to Przybylo's White Eagle on Milwaukee Ave in Niles, (suburb of Chicago) we ordered some for the table.  It was a must-have at banquets (i.e. weddings, baptisms, and funerals).