Bigos Polish Stew With Sauerkraut Beets And Meat Recipes

POLISH HUNTER'S CHOUCROUTE (BIGOS)

Steps:

• Place onions in a bowl and mix with salt; set aside. Place a large skillet over medium heat; sauté bacon until brown and crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions to pan; sauté over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; set aside.
• Place sauerkraut in a heavy casserole without rinsing it unless you find the taste too strong. If you do, rinse in cold water and press water out in a colander. Add to sauerkraut the onions, potatoes, garlic, peppercorns and all meats except frankfurters, sausages and kielbasa. Peel and core apples, cut into quarters, and add to casserole. Mix well. Add enough consommé and wine to barely reach surface of sauerkraut. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of casserole.
• Allow casserole to cool. Throw out bones and outer skin of knuckles. If not serving dish the same day, cover and refrigerate. If serving the same day, add sausages and kielbasa, and cook over low heat for 1 hour before serving.
• Fifteen minutes before serving, pour vodka over mixture. Place on a platter with raised edges (to prevent liquid from spilling), arranging sausages on top. If desired, serve with coarse grain mustard and lightly buttered boiled potatoes sprinkled with chopped dill.

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.

BIGOS (POLISH STEW WITH SAUERKRAUT, BEETS, AND MEAT)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown onion, chorizo and speck, mixing regularly. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon oil over high heat and add the pork and beef. Sear on 2-3 sides and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add sauerkraut together with the cooked chorizo, speck and onion and all the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 1-2 hours or until meat is tender and falling apart to the touch.
• Spoon bigos into a serving bowl, serve on its own, with mash, quinoa, or green salad & slices of fresh sourdough bread.

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.

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.