My friend Gary recently got the recipe for his favorite childhood cabbage dish from his Polish mother. And I got it from him! It's wonderful:
KAPUSTA
1 head of cabbage sliced very thin (then degassed - soaked in ice water for 3 hours then drained, or run 2 or 3 rounds of boiling water over it in a colander)
1 pound sauerkraut (do not drain)
1 medium sized onion, grated
1 large clove garlic minced
8 ounces of pureed tomatoes
1 ham bone with some ham on it
2 cups ham juice or beef stock
4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon coarse mustard
1 tablespoon flour
1 -2 tablespoons white wine or white vinegar
Take fresh cabbage and de-gas as above.
Place 2 cups ham juice (from previously roasted ham) or beef stock, hambone and sauerkraut to a large pot and turn heat up to boil. Once boiling, add fresh, degassed cabbage, mustard and simmer until cabbage is very tender. Salt and pepper. Meanwhile fry bacon in white wine or white vinegar then add grated onion and cook until onion is brown but not burned. Add tomatoes to cabbage through a sieve then add garlic. If it is too soupy at this point, spoon broth from cabbage into bowl and whisk with flour then add back. Add bacon/onion mixture to cabbage simmer for 5 minutes. then turn off heat. Let sit for at least an hour before storing in fridge for later or heating back up and serving.