Bigos (Polish hunter's stew)

Name: Bigos (Polish hunter's stew)
Prep time: 23 min
Cook time: 2 h 20 min
Total time: 2 h 43 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1 white cabbage; 1 cup + 1 tbsp beef stock; 3 ½ oz mushrooms; 2 tbsp lard; 14 oz german sausages; 9 oz bacon; 2 onions; 1.7 lb beef; 7 oz prunes; 1 bay leaf; 2 cloves; 12 peppercorns; 4 juniper berries; 4 allspice berries; ⅓ cup + 2 ½ tsp red wine; 2 tbsp tomato paste

A weekend Polish dinner made with beef. Ready in about 2 hours 43 minutes. Difficulty: more effort.

23 minPrep (about)
2 hr 20 minCook (about)
2 hr 43 minTotal time
4Servings
More effortDifficulty

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Ingredients

How many people?

− 16 people +

Changed from 4 to 16 people · Back to 4

Main ingredient

6.6 lb beef Shopping tip: Chuck roast or stew beef, cut in cubes.

Fresh & other

4 white cabbage Shopping tip: Green cabbage (UK: white cabbage).
4 ¼ cups beef stock Shopping tip: Beef broth (carton or can), or a beef bouillon cube in hot water.
14 oz mushrooms
½ cup lard
3.5 lb german sausages
2.2 lb bacon
8 onions
1.8 lb prunes
8 cloves
16 juniper berries
1 ½ cups + 1 tsp red wine
½ cup tomato paste Shopping tip: Tomato paste (UK: tomato purée), in a small can or tube.

Spices & seasonings (3): bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries

4 bay leaves
48 peppercorns
16 allspice berries

How to make it

Steps in our own plain words.

Put the cabbage in a heavy baking dish.
Add the stock.
Cook over a low heat for around 50 mins, until soft.
Cut the soaked mushrooms in strips and save the soaking water.
Heat the lard.
Fry the sausages and bacon.
Scoop out, leaving your fat in the pan.
Fry your onion in same pan for 5-8 mins till lightly browned.
Add your mushrooms and their liquid along with prunes, onions and all the cooked meat.
Cover.
Cook for 20 mins.
Add the tomato pur, red wine and spicesée.
Bring to a simmer.
Cover.
Cook for 1 hr.
Season well.
Leave to cool.
Will keep covered plus chilled for up to two days.
Bigos improves in flavour over 2 days.
Leave to cool first.
Reheat until piping hot before serving.