Polish Comfort Food- Haluski

Tonight it was cold, and rainy...and I wanted some warm, comforting food.

Where I grew up Polish Food was a part of  everyday life. At every Family Gathering there were Stuffed Cabbage,  Pirogi, or Haluski  - pronounced( Ha-loo-ski.)

If you had the time, you could travel down to Pirogies Plus on Island Ave. in McKees Rocks, Pa. and buy home made Pirogi (by the dozen), made by the Catholic Women, in an old converted Gas Station. Man, talk about comfort food- you didn't have a care in the world when you got Pirogies Plus for dinner!

My Families favorite, though, is Haluski, and I tried for years to make a GF version, but finding GF Egg Noodles proved to be troublesome. Then one day I came upon a GF Fusilli Pasta from  Sam Mills, it was a 100% Corn pasta, and I tried to make it with a traditional pasta sauce, only it didn't work, and I was frustrated and unhappy with the end product. The consistency was more like a Dumplin, or......EUREKA!!!!! AN EGG NOODLE!

I returned to that same supermarket, and bought more Sam Mills 100% Corn Fusilli, and this time I picked up a head of cabbage....we were having Haluski for dinner!

Haluski 
1 lg head cabbage, sliced, finely
1 1/2 pkgs Sam Mills 100% Corn Pasta
12 T Unsalted Butter (or 1 1/2 sticks) 
4 t Kosher salt ( plus to taste)
1/2 t Pepper (plus to taste) 

In Lg pot Bring Water to boil add 1t salt to water.
In separate pan melt 8T Butter.
Slice head of cabbage finely( being careful to remove and disguard core)  add to pan of melted butter. . Put lid on butter/cabbage mix and cook on med-low heat for approx 40 mins, stirring every 3-5 mins. Add 3t salt one at a time, tasting periodically.
Cook GF pasta according to directions ( mine called for 9 mins) , drain pasta and Do Not Rinse.
Place pasta back in pot and add remaining 4T butter in tabs, turn heat on low- add cooked cabbage mixture and cook over low heat for approx. 10 mins.,stirring periodically. Add pepper and taste to see if more salt is desired.
Serve immediately, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

You can always  just make the butter cabbage mix. and have that as a vegetable dish- it's wonderful alone,too!

Enjoy your simple to make Polish Comfort Food!!!