Braised Cabbage with Mushrooms and Ham – a delicious way to prepare cabbage. You can also call it a cabbage stir fry, or another interesting name: Solyanka recipe.
I have a friend who claims she doesn’t cook, and yet every time I am at her house, she whips up something outrageously delicious, usually with an interesting twist on classic dishes. Take, for example, this braised cabbage with mushrooms and ham.
This outrageously delicious cabbage stir-fry recipe is also known as Solyanka (or Soljanka). It is very popular in Russia and Germany, and it’s usually made with cabbage, a little bit of pickled cucumber (for saltiness), and a broth. Sometimes the meat is added, too. Well, my friend took this dish to a completely new level, by reducing the broth basically to zero and making it more like a stew, adding wild mushrooms and ham, and using only a very moderate amount of pickled cucumber to add just the right saltiness. She also used only about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for color and to create a very subtle tomato flavor. Oh, my deliciousness! This has become my new comfort food and a favorite way to eat cabbage! Just take a look at this medley of veggies: can you smell the wild mushrooms infused with garlic flavor, tomato, cabbage, ham, and pickle flavors?!
Because the vegetables here are cooked in a very little liquid, and simmered at a low temperature (without boiling), all the flavors mingle nicely, and what you get is a perfectly prepared stew! You can serve this braised cabbage stir-fry (or Solyanka if you wish) as is, or on top of rice or quinoa!
This outrageously delicious cabbage stir-fry is also known as Solyanka (or Soljanka). Made with cabbage, a little bit of pickled cucumber (for saltiness), and a broth. So good!
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion , small, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 8 cups cabbage , finely shredded
- 1 pickle finely chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms , fresh, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups ham chopped
- salt and black pepper
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In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat, add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook until softened for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat, if necessary, to avoid burning the onions and garlic.
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Add tomato paste and about 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet, and mix, cooking on medium heat, to make sure the tomato paste is well combined with onions and garlic.
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On medium heat, add shredded cabbage, finely chopped pickled cucumber, chopped mushrooms and chopped ham to the tomato paste mixture, mix to combine. Add more water if needed, by tablespoons, to make sure your mixture remains moist but not soupy.
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Reduce heat to simmer and let the vegetables braise on very low heat for about 40 minutes to make sure all flavors blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I love to eat cabbage Julia, but its so hard to find different recipes for it. Want to try this!!
this sounds so amazing! cabbage is really so versatile.
Oh, this does look delicious. It seems that in the UK, we seem to be having a bit of a eastern-European food boom and have seen a wave of simple, starch-and-cabbage based dishes (though this is to over-simplify the food, as it is far more than that). It’s all very cosy and warming, though, and frugal – just what we need during these lean winter months!
Don’t think I’ve ever tried a Solyanka before and it looks amazing! Sounds refreshing and very appetizing!
I have surprisingly never made anything with cabbage! This looks fantastic!
I am planning to cook Solyanka for my Russian Mondays, but as a soup. Yours must taste very delicious, it looks scrumptious-))
This looks amazing! I bought a whole head of cabbage yesterday with no plan. I knew you would come through! This looks amazing! Cheers to your friend who “doesn’t cook”!
Stupid question – what kind of pickles do you use? I have some dill relish that desperately needs to be eaten. Would that work?
You know, I just used a regular pickle, because the pickle acts as a salt in this recipe, and I don’t think dill relish will work as it’s sweet rather than salty. 🙂
Wow this sounds so delicious!!
Perfect comfort food — love the concentrated tomato paste flavor here 🙂
This is looks so delicious and the pictures are amazing! A perfect fall comfort food!