Recipe for: Warm "Winter Bundle" Salad with Buckwheat, Roasted Beets, Braised Sauerkraut, and Cottage Cheese Dressing - photo 1
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Recipe for: Warm "Winter Bundle" Salad with Buckwheat, Roasted Beets, Braised Sauerkraut, and Cottage Cheese Dressing

Salads Vegetarian Dishes Regional Cuisine of Poland 90 min Medium 9 wyświetleń ~42.26 PLN - (0)
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Description

Warm salad 'Winter Bunch' is comfort food in Polish style, combining hearty buckwheat groats with caramelized roasted beets, stewed sauerkraut with sautéed wild mushrooms, and a creamy dressing made from cottage cheese and buttermilk. Complementing this are baked apples and sweet dried plums, which break the acidity-saltiness of the cabbage and the sharpness of the pepper. The dish has a structure: a warm base of groats and cabbage, soft vegetables, and a contrasting, slightly tangy dressing. Serve hot as a standalone lunch or as a hearty salad for dinner — perfect for winter evenings when you need warming, homemade flavors. Aesthetically: warm tones of burgundy beets and plums, golden apples, and green parsley leaves (optional) served on a deep plate.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (16)

Servings:
4
  • Raw buckwheat groats 240 g
  • Beets (raw) 600 g
  • Sauerkraut 300 g
  • Semi-fat cottage cheese 250 g
  • Buttermilk 200 g
  • Apples (polish, firm, e.g. ligol or gray renet) 300 g
  • Dried plums 80 g
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • Butter 20 g
  • Honey 40 ml
  • Wild mushrooms (fresh) 200 g
  • Cebula zwykła 150 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Salt 0.1 szczypt (~4 g)
  • Black pepper 4 szczypty (~2 g)
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Smoked bacon 100 g
  • Walnuts 50 g
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~42.26 PLN (10.56 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Buckwheat

1

Prepare the buckwheat: pour 240 g of dry grains into a sieve and rinse under cold running water, shaking the sieve until the water runs clear. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed pot, add 480 ml of cold water (ratio 1:2), and add 1 g of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (foam will appear on the surface), cover with a lid, reduce the heat to the minimum, and cook for 12–15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. After cooking, remove from heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork — the buckwheat should be fluffy but tender.

Ingredients: raw buckwheat groats, Salt
Use a pot with a capacity of at least 2 liters with a lid; stirring during cooking is not necessary. If the groats are hard after 15 minutes, add 30–50 ml of boiling water and cook for a few more minutes covered.

Roasted beets and apples

2

Preheat the oven to 200°C (top-bottom). Wash the beets (600 g), trim the leaves, and lightly dry them. You don't need to peel them; cut larger beets into eighths, leaving smaller ones halved. Cut the apples (300 g) into quarters, remove the cores, and do not peel the skins. Arrange the beets and apples on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with 20 g of rapeseed oil, and sprinkle with 1 g of salt. Bake for 35–45 minutes, stirring once every 20 minutes — the beets are ready when a knife inserted goes in easily (without resistance) and the flesh is soft; the apples should caramelize slightly and soften but retain their shape.

Ingredients: Beets (raw), Apples (Polish, firm, e.g. Ligol or Gray Renet), Rapeseed oil, Salt
Use a large baking tray; if the beets are very different sizes, cut the smaller ones in half so that they all have a similar baking time. Aluminum foil can speed up the cooking process and make cleaning easier.

Cabbage and mushrooms

3

Drain the sauerkraut (300 g) in a sieve, pressing it with your hand to remove excess juice (if it is very sour, you can rinse it briefly under cold water and squeeze it again). In a large skillet, heat 10 g of rapeseed oil over medium heat, add the chopped onion (150 g, in feathers) and sauté for 4–5 minutes until it becomes soft and slightly translucent. Add the mushrooms (200 g) sliced and sauté together for 6–8 minutes, until they release their water and it evaporates, and the edges of the mushrooms become slightly golden. Add the sauerkraut to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer everything for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally; if the sauerkraut is very dry, add 30–50 ml of hot water. Season to taste with 2 g of pepper and optionally 2 g of salt (be careful with the salt, as the sauerkraut is already salty). The sauerkraut should be soft but still retain a slight crunch.

Ingredients: Sauerkraut, Cebula zwykła, Wild mushrooms (fresh), Rapeseed oil, Black pepper, Salt
Use a wide skillet with a diameter of at least 26 cm; if you are using dried mushrooms, soak them beforehand for 20–30 minutes and use the soaking water sparingly (strain it). By not sautéing on too high heat, you will avoid burning.

Cottage cheese and buttermilk dressing

4

In a bowl, add 250 g of semi-fat cottage cheese, 200 ml of buttermilk, and 40 g of honey. Use a whisk or an immersion blender and mix until smooth and creamy (about 30–60 seconds). If the dressing is too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of cold water or additional buttermilk. Season with 1–2 g of salt and 1 g of freshly ground pepper. The dressing should be velvety, slightly tangy, and sweet — taste and adjust the sweetness of the honey to your preference.

Ingredients: Semi-fat cottage cheese, Buttermilk, Honey, Salt, Black pepper
Use an immersion blender for a perfectly smooth consistency; if you don't have a blender, mash the cottage cheese thoroughly with a fork first, then slowly add the buttermilk and honey.

Sautéing the bacon (optional)

5

If you are using bacon (100 g), cut it into short strips and fry in a dry pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until crispy. Once cooked, drain on paper towels to remove excess fat. For the vegetarian version, skip this step.

Ingredients: Smoked bacon
Use a grill pan or a regular one; place the bacon in a cold pan and then heat it up — this way, the fat will render and the bacon will brown nicely.

Assembly and serving

6

In a large, deep bowl or directly on plates, layer warm buckwheat (fluffed with a fork). On top of the buckwheat, layer sautéed cabbage with mushrooms, roasted beets, and apples, then evenly distribute chopped (if large) dried plums. Drizzle 2/3 of the prepared dressing over the top, and serve the rest separately. Optionally sprinkle with 50 g of toasted walnuts and/or crumbled crispy bacon (if using). Serve immediately — the salad tastes best warm, when the contrast of temperatures and textures is most pronounced.

Ingredients: raw buckwheat groats, Sauerkraut, Beets (raw), Apples (Polish, firm, e.g. Ligol or Gray Renet), Dried plums, Semi-fat cottage cheese, Buttermilk, Walnuts, Smoked bacon
Use a deep dish for the one-pot meal; layer the ingredients nicely so the colors are visible. The dressing can be served in a sauceboat so everyone can season their portion.

Finishing

7

Taste the salad and season with an additional 1–2 g of salt or freshly ground pepper if needed. If you want more sweetness, add a teaspoon of honey to the dressing. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley or chives (optional) for freshness and color.

Ingredients: Salt, Black pepper, Honey
Don't overdo it with the salt — the cabbage and bacon may already be salty. Add spices gradually and taste.

Fun Fact

💡

In traditional Polish cuisine, groats and cabbage are the staples of winter food — combining them with dried fruits and cottage cheese is a natural evolution of flavors that brings together a hearty meal with a distinct sweet-and-sour note.

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Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the salad warm in deep plates. Serve the dressing separately so that those who prefer juicier portions can add more. I suggest pairing it with sour pickles or a slice of whole grain bread with butter.

🥡 Storage

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Before serving, heat in the oven at 160°C for 10–12 minutes or in a pan, and add the dressing fresh — cottage cheese and buttermilk retain their texture and flavor better if not heated for a long time.

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