How to cook the Polish national dish, Bigos

Bigos, a sauerkraut based meat stew, is said to be the national dish of Poland. Bigos finds its base in a Polish/Lithuanian hunting tradition where nobility would bring a large vat of sauerkraut on a week long hunt. During their trip, they would add the meat from their hunt, hand picked wild mushrooms, along with spirits & wine. By the end of the week, after heating and reheating a number of times, the bigos would become infused with an incredibly rich flavor. Bring this tradition into your home and enjoy a hearty bowl of bigos.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2-3 cans of Sauerkraut
• 1 Polish Kielbasa Link
• Wild Mushrooms (preferably dried)
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• Peppercorn
• Optional: Other meats according to taste (bacon, beef chunks, chicken, etc.)
• Optional: Dried Prunes
• Optional: Apples
• Optional: Red Wine & Vodka
• Large pot

1. Place the sauerkraut in the large pot you intend to cook with. Rinse the sauerkraut with water up to three times, noting that the more you rinse, the less sour the sauerkraut will be. If you like it less sour, wash it more.

2. Depending on the source, the dried mushrooms may have dirt and sticks that need to be rinsed out. Do not worry if you do not have dried mushrooms, as any mushrooms can work equally as well.

3. Fill the pot with water such that it is slightly covering the sauerkraut. Heat the pot on high. Add the remaining ingredients: sliced Kielbasa, mushrooms, bay leaves and peppercorn. My family does not, but you can optionally add other types of meat, spirits, and an assortment of dried fruits (prunes) an apples. This experimentation aspect is what makes bigos so special and popular amongst the hunters of legend.

4. Turn the heat down to a simmer once it boils. Simmer for at least thirty minutes before serving. Ideally, you would like this to sit overnight before serving in order to allow the stew to become infused with the flavors. Serve with a thick bread like pumpernickel or rye.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different combinations
• Bigos is most delicious on the second and third day after preparation.
• Make sure you have enough fridge space, as you tend to create a week's worth of bigos at a time!

Resources

• Bigos on Wikipedia

[SunnyStars]

on 4/19/2009 Yum, Interesting ingredients and recipe! This dish sounds easy and so far I've never made/ate anything like it. I'll give it a try, Thanks! =)

[rickmac]

on 4/4/2009 Sounds tasty. I'll have to make this soon. 5*