Hunter's Stew {Bigos}
Pronounced: bee-gos.
Bigos is a mixture of fresh cabbage and sauerkraut, various meats and mushrooms. I often make it if I have a bunch of leftover meats. You can use as much as the recipe calls for or adjust to fit your preference (more of less meat). It will turn out great no matter what… I promise.
It’s a dish that’s often present on a Polish table for Christmas or any gathering really. It maybe because it’s cheap to make and it’s made of cabbage, and we love cabbage. I try to make my own sauerkraut, but I found a brand (Silver Floss Barrel Cured Shredded Sauerkraut) that’s really close to the real thing (you can most likely find it at your local grocery store). The list of ingredients: cabbage, water, salt. This means that the cabbage was made the old way: souring in a barrel, salt only, no vinegar added. Plus it’s made in my husband’s home state, Wisconsin, so it must be great.
It is a much liked dish amongst my family members and friends, so I normally make a big batch. It keeps well in the fridge, or freezer. This recipe also requires quite a large pot. I have this one, designated especially for cooking bigos:
Me with my bigos pot :)
A 5 quart pot will accommodate this recipe, it just might be messy to stir.
To make bigos, you will need:
4 (14 oz) cans of sauerkraut
1 small cabbage
4 strips of smoked bacon
1 lb. of beef or other meat (pork or smoked kiełbasa)
1 cup of chicken/beef stock
1 1/2 cups of dried mushrooms, I used Shiitake (or 8 oz package of fresh mushrooms)
1 large onion
1 can of tomato paste (or 1/3 cup of ketchup or 1 14 oz can of stewed tomatoes)
4-5 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic
3 tsp of salt
10 pepper corns
6-8 allspice seeds
1/2 tsp of pepper
Soak died mushrooms for about 1 hour. When soft, cook for about 20-30 minutes, cool and chop (reserve water from cooking mushrooms). Cube raw (beef or pork) meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large pot (4-5 quart), sauté it in a teaspoon of cooking oil, add garlic and cook until the edges turn brown. Remove meat from pan, add cubed bacon, sausage (if using) and onion (and chopped fresh mushrooms, if using), sauté until golden. Chop cabbage and add to pot, return the cooked beef, chopped dried mushrooms, add tomato paste, salt (2 tsp) bay leaves, pepper corns, allspice seeds, mix, cover and cook on medium to medium low heat for about 15 min (until cabbage is soft). Stir occasionally. Add sauerkraut, mix, cover and cook for another hour. The dish is done at this point, but it’s best to cook ahead of time, store in the fridge overnight (or a couple of nights) and reheat. You may need to add a bit of moisture (stock or water).
Enjoy with bread, or as a side dish. Let me know how you like it below.
Na zdrowie!!
Anna
