what the heck is haluski?!

Can't take another cod fillet during

meatless Lent Fridays?
Try hearty Polish Haluski!

Before I worked for a newspaper that serves a city with a large central European population, I had never heard of haluski. Ever.

A little snooping around revealed to me that this traditional Polish-Slovakian cabbage dish was very similar to something my mother used to make and I decided to give it a try.

The dish makes a great vegetarian main dish (perfect for Lent) or you can sneak in a bit of bacon on your carnivorous days (as shown in the photo). Using homemade egg noodles makes all the difference in the world but if you're short on time, use good-quality store-bought noodles (like I did). And, if you want to add more protein to this dish, try what others do: stir in some cottage cheese.

ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage, cored and either shredded or cut into strips
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (you may need more)
• 8 ounces cooked egg noodles, either homemade or store-bought
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating butter in a large saute pan or large deep skillet until lightly browned; this is one of the tasty tricks of cooking haluski. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Add shredded cabbage and saute for 5 more minutes, tossing thoroughly with the browned butter-onion mixture. Cover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes then add the cooked noodles. Combine everything thoroughly, add a bit more butter if the mixture seems "dry" and cook over low heat, stirring, until noodles are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Another tasty addition to haluski is caraway seeds; add them just before covering and cooking the cabbage-onion mixture.

Some people substitute rinsed sauerkraut for the shredded cabbage; I have not tried this version but I think I could learn to love it.

Can't get enough cabbage? Check out:

Cabbage Hash

and Chet Atkins' Cole Slaw

use your noodle!

It seems that there is a special day for everything, and noodles are no exception. And why not? They're versatile, inexpensive, and delicious. Celebrate "National Noodle Month" this March with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, a nice chilled Japanese salad with soba noodles made of buckwheat; fry up a little lo mein, or just nuke a nice cup of ramen noodles in your favorite flavor.
The word noodle itself is derived from the German "nudel" and the first recorded writings about noodles were during the East Han Dynasty between AD 25 and 220. They differ from pasta in one major way: egg solids. The National Pasta Association (NPA) says that in order for a noodle to be legally considered a noodle, it must contain 5.5 percent egg solids by weight. Noodles are also typically made from durum flour (more finely ground than pasta's semolina). And yes, pasta has its own month - October.

Technicalities aside, here is one of my favorite noodle dishes using some of my favorite noodles - soba noodles from Japan. I love their almost chewy texture and rich flavor, and they're good cold or hot.

Soba Noodles with Macadamia and Sesame

Ingredients

• 6 ounces soba noodles
• 2 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 green onion, all white and part of green, minced or sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Cook soba noodles in boiling water according to package directions; 6 minutes is about enough. Watch them carefully - they WILL foam up fast!
Toast macadamia nuts in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes and set aside to cool.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sesame seeds and saute about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, the vegetable oil, soy sauce and vinegar; whisk to combine.
Add the macadamia nuts, green onion and cilantro to the soba noodles.
Pour sesame sauce over noodles, mix thoroughly, and serve hot, room temperature, or cold. This will make about three or four servings. Two if you're serving me.