Ok, this dish did not start as kluski kapusta po at all. I had this recipe of ribs cooked in cabbage and kraut bookmarked for ages and realized I had all the ingredients except the actual ribs (which were on sale at my grocer) and cabbage,  which is also cheap, so I went ahead and made it.

And sadly, I was glad I didn’t spend much money on the dish. It wasn’t bad per se, just good. Okay. Fine. The cabbage-kraut mixture was surprisingly mild (see: bland) and the ribs were nice and tender, but really fatty. The (small amount) of meat I did get off them was very tasty, but it’s one of those dishes where you have to eat a little bit of everything in one bite for the dish to work. The components on their own were just okay, but together pretty good. So an idea came to mind.

I decided to make an omnivore version of kluski kapusta po, a traditional Polish noodle-cabbage dish where onions and cabbage are cooked in butter and tossed with hot noodles. For my version, I shredded the pork, heated up the cabbage-kraut mixture, stirred in some sour cream, and then tossed the mixture with hot egg noodles. And it finally worked! So I thankfully don’t have to tag this a failure – more like a salvage. Victory is sweet! (and delicious!)

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Kluski Kapusta Po (Polish Noodles with Cabbage)

Serves 5-6

Salvaged from the recipe on AllRecipes.

Ingredients

For the rib rub:

• 3 pounds pork spare ribs, bone-in
• 2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

For the ribs and accompaniments:

• One 32-ounce jar sauerkraut, drained (but not rinsed)
• 3 cups thinly shredded green cabbage (about 1 small head)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 bottle of your favorite beer (I gotta give hometown love by using Unfiltered Boulevard Wheat)
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

To serve:

• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup sauerkraut (uncooked)
• 12 ounces egg noodles
• Freshly chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

1.) Combine the oil, garlic, caraway seeds,salt and black pepper in a small dish. Rub all over the ribs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours to marinate.

2.) Preheat the oven to 400° F. Wrap the ribs in a big tinfoil packet and place in a roasting pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender, and then set aside.

3.) Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F. In a large Dutch oven, combine sauerkraut, onion, caraway seeds, brown sugar, cabbage, beer, water, and chicken stock. Bake (without the ribs) covered, for about 2 hours.

4.) Lower the oven temperature again, this time to 325° F. Carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven, nestle the ribs and their juices into the kraut mixture, adding more stock if the liquid is low, recover, and cook for another hour.

5.) Once everything is ready, remove the ribs from the pot and set aside on a plate. Pour off most of the liquid from the cabbage-kraut mixture and set aside.

6.) While the ribs cool off, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the egg noodles according to directions.

7.) While the noodles cook, using either 2 forks or your hands, pull all the meat off the ribs and shred to small pieces. Add to the cabbage-kraut mixture, stir in the sour cream, extra sauerkraut, and taste for seasoning. Toss with hot egg noodles and garnish with freshly chopped parsley, then devour!

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