Traditional Bigos
by Tavolino
A classic Polish one-pot dish made with a mixture of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, enriched with various types of meat, sausage, dried mushrooms, and prunes.
Ingredients
- dried mushrooms 40 g
- bacon 200 g
- pork stew meat 400 g
- beef stew meat 400 g
- oil 5 tablespoons
- beef broth 1 l
- fresh white cabbage 1 kg
- sauerkraut 500 g
- dried prunes 100 g
- onion 2 pieces
- country-style sausage 250 g
- tomato paste 1 tablespoon
- bay leaves 3 pieces
- allspice berries 3 pieces
- juniper berries 3 pieces
- caraway seeds 0.5 teaspoon
- hot paprika or chili flakes 1 pinch
- pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Preparation
- 1
Break 40 g of dried mushrooms, cover with a cup of warm water, and set aside to soak.
- 2
Dice 200 g of bacon. Cut 400 g of pork and 400 g of beef into small cubes.
- 3
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, fry the bacon for 5 minutes, and transfer to a large pot.
- 4
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pan and brown the meat in batches, transferring it to the pot with the bacon.
- 5
Pour 1 l of broth into the pot with the meat, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
- 6
Finely shred 1 kg of fresh cabbage, removing the core.
- 7
Add the cabbage to the pot with the meat, stir, and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- 8
Add the soaked mushrooms with their soaking water, 500 g of drained sauerkraut, chopped 100 g of prunes, and the spices.
- 9
Stir everything together and cook for another 30 minutes.
- 10
Dice 2 onions and sauté in 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan until translucent, then add to the pot.
- 11
Dice or slice 250 g of sausage, fry in 1 tablespoon of oil, and add to the bigos.
- 12
Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, stir, and simmer covered for 1 hour.
- 13
Stir the bigos while cooking to prevent it from sticking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.