Bigos is a traditional Polish stew using pork, kielbasa, and sauerkraut — great for a cold winter's day. This recipe is well worth the time it takes to make it!
Ingredients
- kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces: 1 pound
- thick slices hickory-smoked bacon: 2 piece
- pork stew meat: 1 pound (cubed)
- all-purpose flour: 0.25 cup
- green cabbage: 4 cups (shredded)
- carrots: 2 piece (diced)
- onion: 1 piece (diced)
- ½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms: 1 piece
- garlic: 3 clove (chopped)
- sauerkraut, rinsed and well: 1 jar (16 ounce jar, drained)
- dry red wine: 0.25 cup
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- sweet paprika: 1 Tbsp
- basil: 1 tsp (dried)
- marjoram: 1 tsp (dried)
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.125 tsp
- caraway seed: 0.125 tsp (crushed)
- pinch cayenne pepper: 1 piece
- beef stock: 5 cups
- canned diced tomatoes: 1 cup
- mushrooms: 0.5 oz (dried)
- canned tomato paste: 2 Tbsp
- dash bottled hot pepper sauce: 1 piece
- dash Worcestershire sauce: 1 piece
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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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 the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.
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Coat 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 pork to the casserole. Add cabbage, carrots, onion, fresh mushrooms, and garlic. Add in sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown.
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Deglaze the pan by pouring in red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with bay leaf, paprika, basil, marjoram, salt, pepper, caraway seed, and cayenne; cook for 1 minute.
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Mix in beef stock, tomatoes, dried mushrooms, tomato paste, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat through just until boiling. Pour vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with meat. Cover with a lid.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.
