Bigos (Hunter's Stew)

Recipe for this dish is attributed to Polish cuisine. Bigos is now considered a traditional second course for Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Latvian, and Lithuanian cuisine. There are many recipes, but three ingredients must be present in this dish: sauerkraut, meat, and dried fruits. It takes about an hour and a half to cook this dish, but it's worth it. Bigos is very hearty, with a rich sweet and sour flavor, I think you will appreciate it, especially men!

Pork Ribs

1.1 lbs

Onion

1 pc

Carrot

1 pc

Sauerkraut

14 oz

Fresh Cabbage

1.1 lbs

Prunes

5.3 oz

Salt

to taste

Ground Coriander

1 tsp

Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp

Bay Leaves

2-3 pc

To prepare Bigos, start by patting the meat dry with paper towels to remove excess water, then cut it into pieces, along each rib.

In a deep skillet, brown the ribs until golden brown. Do not add fat to the skillet as pork ribs have enough fat by themselves. This will take 10-15 minutes, do not cover the skillet.

Then add chopped onions, stir and sauté everything together until the onions become golden.

Next, add grated carrots, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and coriander (cilantro). Mix it all, sauté for another 5 minutes uncovered until the carrots become soft.

Keep an eye on the heat, nothing should burn.

It's time to add sauerkraut, mix everything again, cover with a lid and stew for 15 minutes.

Add shredded fresh cabbage, mix, and stew covered for 1-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Fresh cabbage will quickly reduce in volume (settle) and release a lot of liquid.

If you feel like it needs more liquid while stewing, you can add some brine from the sauerkraut.

Finally, add washed prunes, stew for another 10-15 minutes, and Bigos is ready! If you can wait, let it sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

(5/5)