Bigos Polish Sauerkraut Stew Recipes

BIGOS (HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and kielbasa; cook and stir until the bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.
• Coat the cubes of pork lightly with flour and fry them in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the casserole. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, fresh mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown.
• Deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with the bay leaf, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute.
• Mix in the dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Heat through just until boiling. Pour the vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

BIGOS (POLISH HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Place sauerkraut in a large pan or casserole dish and pour in 4 cups of boiling water. Add prunes, allspice, and bay leaves. Simmer until Sauerkraut is soft, about 50 minutes.
• Pour about 1 cup of boiling water over mushrooms and soak to rehydrate, about 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms, reserving the liquid.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add onion and sausage. Saute while stirring until onion is soft and sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate pan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add beef, pork, and bacon. Simmer until cooked through for 20 minutes, then drain.
• When sauerkraut is soft, add the drained meat mixture, sausage-onion mixture, and soaked mushrooms; mix well. Simmer uncovered over low heat, about 20 minutes.
• Pour in red wine and cook for 15 minutes until flavors are well blended. Season with caraway seeds, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomato puree. If the stew is too dry, pour in some of the water reserved from soaking the mushrooms, and simmer so flavors combine, about 5 minutes.

POLISH HUNTER'S STEW WITH SAUERKRAUT / BIGOS Z KISZONEJ KAPUSTY

Steps:

• Dice the meat. Dice the onion and fry in oil in a large skillet. Add meat and fry it thoroughly.
• When done, add 500 ml's of hot water, salt, season with pepper and bring to boil. Then add broken dried mushrooms, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
• Add bay leaf, allspice, cumin, marjoram, chopped plums, peeled and diced apple and mix.
• Add sauerkraut (if it is too sour, rinse it in a strainer beforehand), pour in 250 ml's of water, mix, cover and cook the cabbage until soft for about 45 minutes . About halfway through the cooking, add the peeled sausage and cut into pieces. At the end, add tomato paste.
• Brown the flour in a dry pan, when it begins to brown, add a tablespoon of butter and stir until the butter dissolves. Keep the pan over low heat and add a few tablespoons of hunters stew gradually, stirring constantly. Transfer the contents of the roux back to the skillet, mix everything together and bring to a boil. Serve hot. Enjoy!

BIGOS - POLISH SAUERKRAUT STEW

Steps:

• Slice kielbasa into 1 inch rounds; brown in skillet.
• Brown the onions.
• Drain juice from sauerkraut and add 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar.
• In a large casserole, make layers of sliced potatoes, sauerkraut, kielbasa, and onions.
• Mix soup with 1/2 cup water and pour over other ingredients.
• Sprinkle with caraway seeds.
• Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.
• Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until top is brown.