Bigos (Hunter’s Stew)

By Sharon Feldman

A traditional Polish Stew – Serves 10.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into ½” pieces
• 2 thick slices hickory smoked bacon
• 1 lb cubed pork stew meat
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 ½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (16 oz) jar sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon caraway seed, crushed
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 5 cups beef stock
• 1 cup canned diced can tomatoes
• ½ oz dried mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons canned tomato paste
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add Kielbasa and bacon; cook and stir until bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.

Coat cubes of pork lightly with flour and fry in bacon drippings over medium high heat util golden-brown. Use slotted spoon and transfer to the casserole. Add cabbage, carrots, onion, fresh mushrooms and garlic. Add in sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium and cook and stir until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let vegetables brown.

Deglaze the pan by pouring in red wine and stirring to loosen all the bits of food and flour stuck to the bottom.  Season with bay leaf, paprika, basil, marjoram, salt, pepper, caraway seed, cayenne and cook 1 minute.

Mix in beef stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Heat through just until boiling. Pour vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid.

Bake in preheated oven until meat is very tender, 3 hours.