I have tried two times now to recreate one of the best food experiences I had last time we visited Poland. In a small cafe in Warsaw we ate bigos. This is a traditional hunters stew made mainly out of sauerkraut and meat. It was incredible! I will never forget the way the small cafe looked and smelled or the taste of the food. Both times now I have been extremely close to capturing the flavor of the dish and decided to include my recipe on the blog in case anyone else wants to try.
3 pounds sauerkraut
1-1/2 to 2 pounds sausage (use various kinds-the more the better-I use 3 different types)
1 pound beef
1 small ham with bone
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
40 black peppercorns (approximate amount)
1 onion
1/4 small cabbage finely shredded
one small can mushrooms- about 8oz (fresh are better than canned)
10 oz red cooking wine
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
Place ham in the Dutch Oven
or large pot. Saute onion and mushrooms, adding beef to onions just before they turn clear and soft. Place mixture pot without draining any liquid. Brown sausage and add to the pot also. Add bay leaves, tomatoes, peppercorns, cabbage, mushrooms, sauerkraut and cooking wine to the pot, retain only the chicken broth. Simmer until the meat has cooked off the bone of the ham and very little liquid remains in the pot. The chicken broth is used only to make sure you have enough liquid to ensure the food does not stick to the pot an burn. The entire process takes about 3 to 5 hours to cook depending on the size of the pot and amount of liquid you use. Tonight it took me about 4 hours in the Dutch Oven. Keep in mind it is below zero outside and I was cooking on the camp chef stove :) The dish should be fairly thick, yet moist, when done and there should be very extra liquid in the pot. I used the dutch oven on my camp chef stove but this would work just fine in a large pot on the stove if you don't want to cook outside.
If anyone has questions let me know. This dish was fun to cook and tastes great!
(originally posted 12/10/09)
3 pounds sauerkraut
1-1/2 to 2 pounds sausage (use various kinds-the more the better-I use 3 different types)
1 pound beef
1 small ham with bone
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
40 black peppercorns (approximate amount)
1 onion
1/4 small cabbage finely shredded
one small can mushrooms- about 8oz (fresh are better than canned)
10 oz red cooking wine
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
Place ham in the Dutch Oven
or large pot. Saute onion and mushrooms, adding beef to onions just before they turn clear and soft. Place mixture pot without draining any liquid. Brown sausage and add to the pot also. Add bay leaves, tomatoes, peppercorns, cabbage, mushrooms, sauerkraut and cooking wine to the pot, retain only the chicken broth. Simmer until the meat has cooked off the bone of the ham and very little liquid remains in the pot. The chicken broth is used only to make sure you have enough liquid to ensure the food does not stick to the pot an burn. The entire process takes about 3 to 5 hours to cook depending on the size of the pot and amount of liquid you use. Tonight it took me about 4 hours in the Dutch Oven. Keep in mind it is below zero outside and I was cooking on the camp chef stove :) The dish should be fairly thick, yet moist, when done and there should be very extra liquid in the pot. I used the dutch oven on my camp chef stove but this would work just fine in a large pot on the stove if you don't want to cook outside.If anyone has questions let me know. This dish was fun to cook and tastes great!
(originally posted 12/10/09)
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