Sauerkraut, Bigos, Polish cuisine

Bigos in Polish

Name: Bigos in Polish
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 handfuls dried mushrooms; 1 kg roasted or boiled meat with streaks of fat (beef, pork, duck or all together); 500 g homemade smoked sausage (preferably several varieties); 25 pitted prunes; 200-250 ml dry white wine; 2 kg sour cabbage (or 1.3 kg sour and 700 g fresh); 600 ml vegetable or meat broth; 5 sour aromatic apples; 100 g of smoked bacon; 3 large onions; 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste; 5 allspice peas; 2 bay leaves; 3 juniper berries; salt; freshly ground black pepper

January 05,2023

This old dish is perfect for the cold season. Due to the large amount of meat fillers, bigos is very satisfying, and cabbage supports the body with essential vitamins. Bigos is prepared mainly in Poland and Lithuania, it can be only from fresh or only from sauerkraut, or from a mixture of both. And everyone chooses the meat component to taste. It will take several days for the bigos to become saturated.

Ingredients

Servings 8

2 handfuls dried mushrooms
1 kg roasted or boiled meat with streaks of fat (beef, pork, duck or all together)
500 g homemade smoked sausage (preferably several varieties)
25 pitted prunes
200-250 ml dry white wine
2 kg sour cabbage (or 1.3 kg sour and 700 g fresh)
600 ml vegetable or meat broth
5 sour aromatic apples
100 g of smoked bacon
3 large onions
2 tbsp. l. tomato paste
5 allspice peas
2 bay leaves
3 juniper berries
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cooking

Step 1

Soak the mushrooms in warm water for several hours. Then boil them in boiling water, finely chop, strain the broth and save.

Step 2

Cut meat and sausage into small cubes. Cut prunes into strips and fill with wine.

Step 3

Place the cabbage in a large, thick-walled saucepan and pour over the broth. Boil over medium heat for 45 minutes. Add peeled apples, cut into large slices.

Step 4

Cut the bacon into small pieces and the onion into small cubes. Fry the bacon in a pan until the fat is rendered. Add onion and fry until golden brown.

Step 5

Put meat, onion, mushrooms and tomato paste in a saucepan with cabbage, pour in the mushroom broth and bring to a boil. Add prunes along with wine, salt, pepper and simmer bigos over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 hours. Remove from heat, cool and put the pan in the refrigerator for 10-15 hours.

Step 6

Put the pan back on the fire and simmer for another 1-1.5 hours. Add a little water if necessary. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate for another 10 hours. Put bigos on fire again, add allspice, bay leaf and juniper berries. Simmer for another 1.5 hours. Serve hot bigos.