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Categories:Viewed: 36 - Published at: 6 years ago
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound bacon or salt pork, roughly chopped
- 1/4 pound sausage, optional
- 1 1/2 pounds not-too-lean beef chuck or brisket, cut into small cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 pounds sauerkraut, fresh or packaged in plastic
- 1 ounce dried black mushrooms, soaked and sliced, liquid reserved
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup Madeira or other sweet wine
Method
- Heat a Dutch oven or heavy flameproof casserole with a lid over medium-high heat and add the bacon.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat is rendered, then add the sausage if youre using it and the meat and brown.
- Remove the bacon, sausage, and meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion in the fat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sauerkraut,mushrooms, mushroom liquid, caraway seeds, pepper, and sugar.
- Stir to combine and add just enough water to barely cover.
- Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pan and add the wine.
- Cover and simmer for an hour, or until the meat is tender (lamb, pork, and veal will probably take longer than beef).
- Serve or cool to room temperature and refrigerate, then reheat before serving.
- Omit the sauerkraut from step 2 and substitute one 2-pound head of fresh cabbage, cored and thinly sliced, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, and 2 tart apples, peeled and sliced.
- For a sweeter stew, substitute 1/2 pound diced pitted prunes for the dried mushrooms.
- You do not need to soak the prunes.
- Add them to the bigos when you would have added the mushrooms.
