August

Bigos

Poland

Ingredients for the Bigos:

(For 6-10 persons)

1000 g / 2.20 lb sauerkraut (fresh)

500 g / 1.10 lb white cabbage

1000 g / 2.20 lb meat (ribs, veal pork neck, small shovel, beef)

300 g 0.66 lb sausage (Krakauer, Silesian sausage)

1-3 slices of smoked bacon

30 g / 1.05 oz dried porcini mushrooms

5 dried plums

1 apple (Renata)

3 onions

2 tablespoons tomato paste

500 ml / 17.63 oz beer

150 ml / 5.29 oz dry white wine (Silvaner)

250 ml / 8.81 oz chicken stock

10 grains of allspice

4 bay leaves

4 juniper berries

2 tsp. caraway powder

2 tbsp. caraway

1-2 tbsp. marjoram

salt

pepper

Lard

One to two hours before you start cooking, soak the dried mushrooms (porcini are best) and dried plums, each in its own container.

Cut the bacon and onions into strips and sauté. 

Cut the white cabbage into long pieces and add to the bacon and onions. Now stir in the tomato paste and add the sauerkraut.

Steam with a little white wine, beer and chicken stock (about 1/3 of all liquids) until the white cabbage has collapsed. Take out the soaked mushrooms out of the water and slice in small pieces. Run the soaking water of the mushrooms through a sieve into the pot and add the soaked sliced mushrooms.

Now add the allspice, bay leaves, juniper berries, caraway seeds and marjoram to the pot and deglaze with some liquid.

Fry the spare ribs on the grill or in the pan.

Cut the meat into 2×2 cm pieces and fry with lard. The meat should not draw water during frying. So it is better to fry in portions. At the very end, fry the sausage briefly.

Put the meat and the cabbage into a casserole dish and simmer with a lid in a preheated oven at about 150°C /302°F for about 2.5 hours. To be on the safe side, check from time to time so that nothing burns (if necessary, add some more liquid).

After 2.5 hours, stir in the sliced apple and plums and place in the oven again without the lid for about 30 minutes so that the liquid can boil away.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the Bigos with a slice of brown bread.

Smacznego!