Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

Ingredients

• 1white cabbage, thinly sliced; or use a mix of fresh and sauerkraut
• 1 cupbeef stock
• 3 1/2 ozdried mushrooms, soaked in warm water; keep the soaking water
• 2 tbsplard, or vegetable oil
• 14 ozsmoked sausage, kielbasa or German-style sausage, sliced
• 9 ozbacon, diced bacon or chopped
• 2onions, chopped
• 1 2/3 lbbeef, braising beef, cut into chunks
• 7 ozpitted prunes, adds characteristic sweetness
• 1bay leaf
• 2cloves, whole
• 12black peppercorns
• 4juniper berries
• 4allspice berries
• 6 tbspred wine
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1

   Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover them with warm water and leave them to soak. Put the cabbage in a large heavy casserole, add the stock and cook over low heat for about 50 minutes, until tender.

2. 2

   While the cabbage cooks, lift the mushrooms out of their water, keeping the water, and cut them into strips. Heat the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, bacon and beef in batches, lifting each batch onto a plate. In the same fat, fry the onions for 5–8 minutes until lightly browned.

3. 3

   Add the mushrooms and their soaking water, the browned meats, the onions and the prunes to the cabbage pot. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the spices (bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, juniper, allspice), red wine, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour more.

5. 5

   Season generously with salt and pepper. Leave to cool. Bigos is best made 1–2 days ahead — reheat until steaming hot before serving.

Nutrition per serving