Welcome to a dish that is the epitome of comfort food! This Pork Belly with Stewed Cabbage and Mushrooms is a hearty, soulful meal, reminiscent of cozy family dinners in Eastern Europe. It's a classic one-pot wonder where tender, succulent pork belly is slow-braised with sweet cabbage and earthy mushrooms until it practically melts in your mouth. The combination of flavors is rich and deeply satisfying, enhanced by aromatic spices and a final touch of a creamy, fresh dill sauce. Perfect for a chilly evening, this recipe is simple to prepare yet delivers a truly memorable and nourishing experience.
Pork Belly with Stewed Cabbage and Mushrooms
Ingredients for Pork Belly with Stewed Cabbage and Mushrooms
- 600 g pork belly
- 700 g white cabbage
- 200 g champignon mushrooms
- 130 g yellow onion
- 20 g dried carrot
- 5 g dried green chili
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 g coriander
- 5 g caraway seeds
- salt, oil for frying
For the sauce
- 200 g smetana (a type of sour cream common in Eastern Europe; you can substitute with full-fat sour cream or crème fraîche)
- 50 g dill
- salt, pepper
How to cook Pork Belly with Stewed Cabbage and Mushrooms
Cut the pork belly with the skin on into slices about a centimeter thick. Choose boneless pork belly with thin layers of fat so the dish doesn’t turn out too greasy. Pat the sliced pork dry with paper towels to prevent fat from splattering all over the kitchen during frying.
Slicing the pork and patting the pieces dry with paper towels
If the mushrooms are clean, simply wipe them with a damp cloth and cut them into 2-4 pieces. If the champignon mushrooms are dirty, rinse off the sand and soil under cold running water, pat them dry, and then slice.
Cutting the mushrooms into 2-4 pieces
Remove the core from the head of white cabbage and shred the leaves into thin strips.
Shredding the cabbage into thin strips
Grease a heavy-bottomed skillet with oil for frying. Fry the pork belly pieces until golden brown on both sides.
Frying the pork belly pieces on both sides
Transfer the fried pork to a Dutch oven. In the fat remaining in the skillet, add the onion and fry until it reaches a caramel color. Transfer the fried onion to the Dutch oven.
Frying the onion
Next, add the champignon mushrooms to the Dutch oven. There’s no need to pre-cook the mushrooms; frying them separately will only add an unnecessary amount of oil or fat, which mushrooms absorb like a sponge.
Adding the champignon mushrooms to the Dutch oven
Sprinkle the cabbage with a pinch of salt, gently rub it with the salt to reduce its volume, and add it to the Dutch oven with the other ingredients.
At this stage, salt the dish to your taste, add dried carrot, dried green chili, coriander, caraway, and the bay leaf.
Pour in 100 ml of hot water, cover the Dutch oven tightly, and cook for 1 hour over low heat.
Adding the cabbage to the Dutch oven
Salting the dish and adding spices
While the pork belly is stewing with the cabbage and mushrooms, let’s prepare the dill sauce. Strip the dill leaves from the stems and chop them finely. Place the chopped dill in a mortar or blender, add salt, and grind. The ground dill will release its green juice, making the sauce not only tasty but also beautiful. Mix the ground dill with smetana (a type of sour cream common in Eastern Europe), and season with black pepper to taste.
Preparing the dill sauce
10 minutes before it’s done, remove the lid from the Dutch oven, increase the heat, and let the excess moisture from the pork belly with stewed cabbage and mushrooms evaporate.
Removing the lid and simmering for another 10 minutes
Serve the pork belly with stewed cabbage and mushrooms hot, drizzled with the dill sauce.
The pork belly with stewed cabbage and mushrooms is ready!
And there you have it – a wonderfully rustic and flavorful dish of Pork Belly with Stewed Cabbage and Mushrooms, ready to be enjoyed. This meal is traditionally served hot, often accompanied by boiled potatoes or a slice of dark rye bread to soak up all the delicious juices. The creamy dill sauce adds a bright, fresh contrast that cuts through the richness of the pork beautifully. We hope this recipe brings a touch of warmth and tradition to your kitchen. Enjoy sharing this comforting meal with your loved ones!
0 comments