Bigos

About this dish

Bigos began as a way to use up whatever meat a hunt or a larder actually had, which is why no two versions agree on exactly which cuts go in — pork, beef, game and smoked sausage have all had their turn, and the constant is really the sauerkraut, not the meat. The dish's reputation for improving overnight isn't folklore: the sourness of the cabbage and the fat rendered from the meats need time apart from the heat to actually blend, which is why Polish households routinely cook a pot large enough to reheat for days rather than a single serving's worth.

• Gluten-free
• Lactose-free
• Not vegetarian because of Lardons (bacon cubes), Pork shoulder, Beef chuck, cubed, Smoked kielbasa sausage

• 100gLardons (bacon cubes)
• 400gPork shoulder
• 300gBeef chuck, cubed
• 200gOnion
• 600gSauerkraut
• 300gWhite cabbage
• 40gTomato paste
• 150mlDry red wine
• 2leavesBay leaves
• 3gJuniper berries
• 10gFine sea salt
• 3gGround black pepper
• 100gCremini mushrooms
• 100gPitted prunes
• 300gSmoked kielbasa sausage

Instructions

1. 1

   Render the lardons in a large pot, then brown the diced pork shoulder and beef chuck in the fat, and add the chopped onion.

   20 min

   Tip: Brown the meat in batches if the pot is crowded — meat dumped in all at once steams in its own liquid instead of browning, and that browning is where a good part of the stew's flavour comes from.

2. 2

   Stir in the sauerkraut and the shredded fresh cabbage.

   10 min

   Tip: The two cabbages do different jobs: the sauerkraut brings the sourness that defines bigos, and the fresh cabbage softens that sourness so it reads as depth rather than pure acidity.

3. 3

   Add the tomato paste, red wine, bay leaf, juniper berries, salt and pepper, cover and simmer very gently for about 90 minutes.

   90 min

   Tip: Crush the juniper berries lightly before adding them — whole, they mostly just sit there; cracked, they release the resin that gives bigos its faintly smoky, forest-like edge.

4. 4

   Stir in the mushrooms, prunes and sliced smoked sausage, and simmer uncovered for a further 35 minutes.

   35 min

   Tip: The prunes are not for sweetness you should be able to name — they round off the sourness the same way the sugar does in a sour soup, working in the background rather than announcing themselves.

5. 5

   Take the pot off the heat and let it stand for a few minutes before serving — or, better, refrigerate it overnight and reheat the next day.

   5 min

   Tip: This is the one stew where patience is genuinely part of the recipe: a rest lets the fat, the sourness and the meat juices settle into each other, which a fresh pot simply hasn't had time to do yet.