Hearty Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew) Recipe
With cooler weather upon us, it's natural to choose warm meals over chilled salads to sustain you through the season. Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins understands this well, bringing us this hearty bigos recipe. Also known as a Polish hunter's stew, this nourishing dish is sure to satiate your desire for cozy vibes. "There's a lot to like (and dare I say love) about this big pot of stew," Watkins muses, citing "the fork-tender pieces of pork, the smoky bites of sausage, the tangy kraut." She goes on, "Even the earthy sweetness of the mushrooms and prunes adds palate-pleasing balance."
There's plenty going in this delicious stew, yet it all comes together seamlessly in every mouthful. About its origins, Watkins comments, "This stew is straight-up medieval! Bigos was (and still is) considered a special-occasion meal due to the copious amount of meat,a lofty expense at the time," and the (at the time) hard-to-find spices it used. While you might consider them pantry staples now, bigos' various seasonings offer rich layers of flavor to elevate this pork stew beyond the ordinary.
Read more: 12 Little-Known Facts About Salt
Gather The Ingredients For This Hearty Bigos Recipe
For this recipe, you'll need olive oil, pork stew meat, salt, black pepper, and a sliced kielbasa link. If you can't source the latter, Watkins says, "Any smoky sausage will substitute nicely. If you want to forgo the sausage aspect completely, a pinch or two of smoked paprika will add that smoked element." Meanwhile, if you love the sound of this hearty stew but aren't a fan of pork, Watkins suggests chicken thighs as an alternative.
Next, get some garlic cloves (minced), along with onion, carrots, celery, and prunes (all diced). You'll also need to reconstitute some dried porcini mushrooms by soaking them in warm water for 15 minutes, then dice those too. Wakins describes porcinis as "handy little umami bombs, especially since they don't impart additional sodium."
Finally, to season and fill out the stew, you'll need allspice, caraway seeds, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sauerkraut, chopped cabbage, and bay leaves. To serve, grab some salted butter and several slices of pumpernickel bread.
Season And Sear The Meat
Set a large Dutch oven or pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. Use paper towels to pat the pork dry, then season it with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned pork and sear it for 6-8 minutes until browned. Remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
Cook The Kielbasa
Toss the sliced kielbasa into the pot and cook it for 5 minutes or so, so it becomes lightly browned. Remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the plate with the pork.
Saute The Vegetables, Then Add The Seasonings And Tomatoes
Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, prunes, and mushrooms to the pot, stirring well to distribute the ingredients evenly. Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes until they are tender-crisp. Next, add the all-spice and caraway seeds to the pot and stir the spices in with the veggies. Saute the contents for another minute, then add the canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir everything to combine and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Add The Remaining Ingredients, And Cook The Stew
Once the contents are simmering, add the sauerkraut and cabbage and stir them in to combine. Add the bay leaves to the pot too, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook the stew for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the pork is fork-tender.
Serve The Stew With Buttered Pumpernickel
Once the stew is ready, serve it in bowls with a slice of pumpernickel bread and some butter on the side. As for leftovers, Watkins instructs: "Let this stew come as close to room temperature as possible before refrigerating." Store it in an airtight container for 2-3 days, and reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
"Like chili, bigos will certainly make for tasty leftovers," Watkins notes. Considering the large portion size, you can get creative with extras too. "I could easily see this as a savory pie (a la 'chicken pot') or even as a remix on a shepherd's pie," Watkins shares.
Hearty Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew) Recipe
Prep Time: 15mCook Time: 1h 45mYield: 6 servingsIngredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound pork stew meat
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (14-ounce) kielbasa link, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
4 prunes, diced
¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and diced
¼ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 bay leaves
6-8 slices pumpernickel bread, for serving
¼ cup salted butter, for serving
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat.
Pat the pork stew meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Once the oil is hot, add the pork and sear for about 6-8 minutes, until brown. Once seared, remove the pork from the pot using a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add the kielbasa to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Once cooked, remove the kielbasa from the pot using a slotted spoon and set it aside on the plate with the pork.
Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, prunes, and mushrooms to the pot and stir to combine. Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp.
Add the allspice and caraway seeds to the pot, stir to combine with the veggies, and continue to saute for 1 more minute.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, add the sauerkraut and cabbage, stirring to combine.
Add the bay leaves, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook the stew for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender.
Divide the stew among bowls and serve with pumpernickel bread and butter on the side.
Read the original article on Mashed.
