POLISH HUNTERS' STEW (BIGOS)

POLISH HUNTERS' STEW (BIGOS) image

Categories Soup/Stew Mushroom Pork Stew Dinner

Yield 10-12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

1 ounce dried porcini or other wild mushrooms
2 Tbsp bacon fat or vegetable oil
2 pounds pork shoulder
1 large onion, chopped
1 head cabbage (regular, not savoy or red), chopped
1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms
1-2 pounds kielbasa or other smoked sausage
1 smoked ham hock
1 pound fresh Polish sausage (optional)
1 25-ounce jar of fresh sauerkraut (we recommend Bubbies, which you may be able to find in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket)
1 bottle of pilsner or lager beer
1 Tbsp juniper berries (optional)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
2 Tbsp dried marjoram
Salt
20 prunes, sliced in half (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce (optional)
1-2 Tbsp mustard or horseradish (optional)

Steps:

1 Pour hot tap water over the dried mushrooms for 20-40 minutes, or until soft. Grind or crush the juniper berries and black peppercorns roughly. Cut the pork shoulder and sausages into 2-inch chunks. Drain the sauerkraut and set aside. Clean off any dirt from the mushrooms and cut them into large pieces; leave small ones whole. 2 Heat the bacon fat or vegetable oil in a large lidded pot for a minute or two. Brown the pork shoulder over medium-high heat. Do not crowd the pan. Set aside. 3 Put the onion and fresh cabbage into the pot and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is soft. Sprinkle a little salt over them. If you are making the tomato-based version, add the tomato paste here. Once the cabbage and onions are soft, remove from pot and set aside. 4 Add the mushrooms and cook without any additional oil, stirring often, until they release their water. Once they do, sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms. When the water is nearly all gone, add back the pork shoulder, the cabbage-and-onion mixture, and then everything else except the prunes. Add the beer, if using, or the tomato sauce if you're making the tomato-based version. Stir well to combine. 5 You should not have enough liquid to submerge everything. Bigos is a "dry" stew, the ingredients will give off more liquid as they cook. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook for at least 2 hours. 6 Bigos is better the longer it cooks, but you can eat it once the ham hock falls apart. Check at 2 hours, and then every 30 minutes. When the hock is tender, remove, pull off the meat and fat from the bones. Discard bones and fat, chop the meat roughly and return to the pot. Add the prunes and cook until they are tender, at least 30 more minutes. Serve simply, with rye bread and a beer. Add optional mustard or horseradish right before you eat it. Bigos improves with age;leftovers will be even better than the stew was on the first day.