Bigos (Hunter's Stew)

Method

1. 1

   Soak the dried mushrooms in 300 ml of hot water for 20 minutes; keep the soaking liquid.

2. 2

   Render the bacon in a large heavy pot, then brown the pork shoulder in batches and set aside.

   💡 Real browning, not gray steaming, is where bigos gets its depth.

3. 3

   Soften the onions in the fat, then return the meat with the sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, mushrooms and their strained liquid.

4. 4

   Add the prunes, bay leaves, allspice, tomato paste and enough water to barely cover. Cover and simmer very gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

   💡 Low heat and time do the work; rushing bigos just makes cabbage soup.

5. 5

   Stir in the sliced sausage and simmer uncovered for 30 more minutes so the stew thickens.

6. 6

   Season with salt and pepper, cool, and if you can bear it, refrigerate overnight and reheat — it will taste noticeably better.