Bigos, also known in English as hunter's stew, is a Polish dish of finely chopped meat of various kinds stewed with sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage. Bigos, is one of those homey recipes that changes from home to home. Other ingredients oftan added to bigos include onions, diced and browned
in lard together with the meat, and dried forest mushrooms that are
precooked separately in boiling water. The stew is usually seasoned with
salt, black peppercorns, allspice, juniper berries and bay leaves. Some
recipes also call for caraway, cloves, garlic, marjoram, mustard seeds,
nutmeg, paprika and thyme.
Traditionally, bigos is stewed in a cauldron over open fire or a large pot on a stove, but it may also be prepared in an electric slow cooker.The contents should be stirred from time to time, to prevent schorching. Bigos is considered best after it has been repeatedly refridgerated and reheated to allow the flavors to fuse. Like most stews this tastes better left overnight and reheated the next day making it a great dish to prepare in advance for an evening with friends.
Bigos, a Polish hunters stew
