Bigos
sometimes contains gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame, soy, shellfish, fish — check the label
Restrictions
Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · dairy (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · egg (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · peanut (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · tree nut (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · sesame (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · soy (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · shellfish (dried mushrooms, kielbasa) · fish (dried mushrooms, kielbasa)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
| 700 g | sauerkraut (drained) |
| 700 g | green cabbage (shredded) |
| 600 g | pork shoulder (cubed) |
| 400 g | kielbasa (sliced) |
| 2 unit | onion (sliced) |
| 30 g | dried mushrooms |
| 80 g | prunes (chopped) |
| 2 unit | bay leaves |
| 1 tsp | black pepper |
| 500 ml | water |
Steps
- prep20 minmushrooms softenedCover the dried mushrooms with hot water until pliable, then chop them and reserve the soaking liquid after leaving any grit behind. This liquid contributes woodland depth without requiring the stew to become mushroom-dominant.
- sear15 minpork browned in batchesBrown the pork shoulder in a heavy pot, working in batches so the pieces sear instead of steaming. Remove the pork as it colors; the browned fond will season the cabbage during the long simmer.
- saute10 minonions soft and kielbasa lightly brownedCook the onion and kielbasa in the same pot until the onion softens and the sausage gives up some fat. Scrape the browned pork fond loose rather than letting it scorch.
- simmer120 mincabbage very tender and liquid reducedAdd sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, pork, mushrooms, prunes, bay leaves, pepper, the mushroom liquid and enough water to prevent scorching. Cover and simmer gently, stirring periodically, until the meats are tender and the two cabbages lose their separate raw identities.
- simmer25 minuncovered, thick rather than soupyUncover and continue cooking until excess liquid reduces and the stew becomes cohesive. Bigos should be moist but concentrated; stopping while a large amount of thin broth remains leaves the flavors disconnected.
- rest30 minoff heat before servingRest before serving so the rendered fat and cabbage juices settle back into the stew. Bigos is especially suited to cooling and reheating, when its fermented cabbage, meat and smoke flavors become even more integrated.