Polish Sausage, Cabbage, and Potatoes (Bigos)
When I was a small child my family (African-American) lived next door to a Polish family. We lived in Detroit, Michigan--about 5 minutes from Hamtramck where you could get the best polish sausage. My mother and our neighbor would exchange recipes.
One of my favorites was a dish with polish sausage, cabbage, and potatoes.There were 8 children and 2 adults in our family and this meal was cheap but tasty. Unfortunately, my mother passed away some years ago. Whenever my brothers and sisters visit, they still enjoy this dish when I make it. This polish sausage recipe brings back childhood memories.
The one good thing about using Old Quebec Butcher's Rub for vegetables is that you can always add more after you cook them and you still get a wonderful flavor. I cut the recipe in half so it only feeds 6. I don't know what the real name of this dish is though.
Submitted by: Anita from Los Angeles, California
Yield: 6
Preparation Instructions:
- Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the margarine or butter until tender. Add water.
- Layer cabbage, sausage, and potatoes and balance of butter and margarine in the pan.
- Season with Quebec Beef Spice and Old World Central Street Seasoning.
- Cover and simmer on low heat until cabbage is desired doneness, stirring occasionally.
- This should only cook about 20 minutes or the time it takes to make the potatoes tender.
thespicehouse.com
More About This Recipe
My husband likes his cabbage well done, but my family and I prefer it to be just barely tender. I like to omit the potatoes and sausage, cut down on the butter, and smother the cabbage. My husband is originally from Pennsylvania, and he begs me to add the sausage and potatoes whenever he sees me buying cabbage. I discovered using Quebec Beef Spice for vegetables when my Aunt Augustine traveled to Kansas and had summer squash at a restaurant. She liked it so much that she asked the chef what seasoning he used. He told her it was Quebec Beef Spice from The Spice House, and it is available over the internet. She told me, and now I use it to season this dish and many other vegetable dishes. I didn't know this dish could get any better! Incidentally, I am one of those cooks that just adds spices by sight and shaking - seasoning is approximate. Use more or less according to your taste.
I ran across this website with these cabbage, polish sausages recipes. Imust say that this will be my sunday dinner today, and many days to come! Thanks so much for this website of wonderful recipes!!!!!
One of my family favourites too……….. A finishing touch to the meal for us growing up, would be to lightly sprinkle a few drops of vinegar over the cabbage.
This is an awesome dish. The cost is very reasonable in that you could feed 6 people for under 10 bucks. Also, This dish is very tasty and I don’t usually eat Kelbasa Sausage but man oh man this dish rocked. My Polish Mom came by for Sunday Dinner last weekend and I made this for her and my Step Dad. They Loved it and ate it all.
This is a wonderful recipe. It is an economical meal that goes together in minutes, and tastes just like my Polish babushka used to make. She would add a little dill weed, but the basic recipe is fine as is. I recommend it to everyone on a budget, and all those Polish people who yearn for a taste of HOME.
My husband’s family, and now mine, call this Bigos. The meat can vary but the base is always onions cabbage, and potatoes and sometimes leftover kraut. Sometimes we add carrot, sometimes mushrooms. It is a dish that arrives in your bowl in an organic compilation. The meat? You use what you have. Beef, pork kielbasa rabbit duck lamb …or in any combination. Hence the name, Hunters Stew. It is always excellent😀
I’ve been making this recipe for years, since my Sister-in-Law made it for us when visiting her in Ohio from Louisiana. I use creole seasoning and Richards Cajun sausage but is still amazing. There are never any leftovers when I make this. This is one of those ’I’m craving" dishes.
Thank you very much, for this recipe, my mother in law was telling me," you shouls make cabbage with sausage and potatoes, I used to make it and is really good", so I purchased everything (the 3 items she mentioned) she never told me how, I am so glad I find you recipe and start cooking 5 am my husband wake up and said what smells so delicious, thank you very much again.
Instead of butter, I use a strip or two of bacon. I also use a cast iron skillet. Another thing I do sometimes is omit the potatoes and mash them instead.
I am making this for dinner tonight. It is making my house smell wonderful, but the best part is that my 12 year old daughter helped me. We used Tony’s More Spice, Italian seasoning, and dill. I remember making this with my mom. What a wonderful dish and memory. It will defiantly go into my recipe book for my daughter when she gets married!
Great recipe!!! I did make a few adjustments with ingredients. I used conecuh sausage instead of polish sausage..I used 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of the clove garlic..I didn’t have any Quebec Beef Spice or Old World Central Street Seasoning..(never heard of it) So I used 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning and1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning..Those seasonings does not cost alot, and seasons wonderfully. I took the dish to church for Sunday dinner..Everyone loved it..Ofcourse I had jiffy bread to eat with it.. Can’t wait to try it again!!!