Hunter’s Stew (Bigos) - the King of Polish Comfort Food

Witamy i zyczymy wszystkiego najlepszego na nowy rok!

Welcome, and we wish you all the best in the new year.

We’re having a party to celebrate the New Year.  Lots of friends and neighbors will be invited to socialize and enjoy an early supper.  There was never any question that the dish of choice will be Hunter’s Stew, or better known in Polish circles as Bigos. 

This is classic and traditional comfort food at its very best. The base is sauerkraut to which we add kielbasa, bacon, pieces of pork and / or beef roast, dried mushroom for distinct flavor, some onion and tomato for background, and basically stew the heck out of it for several hours -  it’s even better if prepared the day before, giving all the flavors time to marry and hang out with each other for a while.  

The recipe below is based on a classic Warsaw version handed down from Peter’s Grandmother.  But truth be told there are a “gazillion” varieties of this hearty dish since every town and every village in Poland, and probably every cook has their own version.  As we travel to various Polish heritage festivals around the U.S. with our books and programs, we’ve noticed that the cooks at every church use some Babcia’s recipe.  Each is a bit different and each is always popular so that Bigos is often the first dish on the menu to sell out.  The beauty of Bigos is that the proportions don’t matter that much and the flavors will all come together, no matter how you change things up to make it your own.  

For our New Year’s day party, we’ll serve it with some boiled potatoes and black bread on the side.   For the adventurous guests, we’ll be "doing" shots of ice cold Polish vodka.

Peter likes Luksusowa potato vodka because it is very smooth and a great value for the price).

For the others, we’ll have a hearty red wine or Polish beer – all of which pair beautifully with 

Bigos.

For dessert, we still have too many platters of Christmas sweets which are still delicious.  We’ll put them out and pray they go fast. 

Serves 5-6
1/4 cup dried mushrooms
1/2 cup water
2 pounds sauerkraut
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced (optional) 
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 cup fully cooked Polish sausage, sliced and quartered
1 cup leftover meat (pork, beef, veal) chopped in 1 inch
         pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped bacon, pre-cooked to render fat

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft.  Transfer the mushrooms and their water to a small pot and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Drain the mushrooms but be sure to save their the liquid.  Chop the mushrooms into rough pieces. 

Wash the sauerkraut twice, thoroughly squeezing out the water each time.  In a large pot, combine sauerkraut, mushrooms and their reserved liquid.  Add the apple, tomatoes, peppercorns and bay leaf.  Add a little water or broth if needed, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Be sure the liquid doesn’t all boil off. 

Pre-cook the bacon at least half way to render most of the bacon fat and rough-chop.  Add all the meat and bacon.  Cover and simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally.

This dish tastes much better when reheated the next day.  

Serve with potatoes, and crusty dark bread. It pairs well with either icy vodka, hearty red wine like a cabarnet sauvignon, or beer. 

Smacznego!




PS:  This is a great crockpot dish – cook on high for 2 hours then low for about 6 hours.  Reheat the next day until hot throughout. 

Thanksgiving with a Polish Twist

Witamy!
Just a few days until Thanksgiving.  The stores are stocked up with all the traditional ingredients and there’s definitely a hint of excitement building in the air as the temperatures drop into fall and we’re starting to salivate over that turkey to come.   

Truth be told, Thanksgiving is not a classic Polish tradition.  But it is catching on and there is no reason why we can’t add a Polish twist to our own feast at home.  In fact, after 68 years of traditional Thanksgiving dinners, adding a Polish twist is a pretty attractive idea.  This Turkey recipe comes from Peter's Mom and is a variant on one from her book, The Art of Polish Cooking.  And if you really want to get out of the box, try it with a duck or goose.  And the two salads below are classic Polish salads that will pair very well with your bird – regardless of its DNA.  Smacznego!  

Roast Turkey with Sweet Stuffing

One turkey, 14 – 16 pounds
½ cup butter, melted
Your turkey’s liver, chopped
Salt

Stuffing
6 slices white bread 
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons brandy (optional) 
Your turkey’s liver, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs separated
½ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons almonds, peeled and slivered
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon sugar
One dash Allspice
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup of breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 450°F.  Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze out the liquid well.   Add the brandy, butter, egg yolks raisins, almonds and spices.  Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Fold into the stuffing mix a scoop at a time, alternating with the bread crumbs. Mix lightly. 

Image courtesy of Thermoworks
Stuff the neck and body cavities and close with skewers. Brush with butter.  Place the bird on a roasting rack in its pan, breast down, in the center of the oven.  Reduce the oven temp to 325°F and roast about 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Baste skin frequently with the drippings.  Sprinkle skin with salt about half way. 

   Be sure to use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness (160 degrees) making sure the probe is set in the thigh and not in the stuffing.

There are a ton of recipes out there for roasting turkey -- your favorite method will be great, as long as you use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  

Serve your Polish bird with Apple Cabbage Salad, Polish Vegetable Salad,  and roasted potatoes sprinkled with butter & dill.

Cabbage & Apple Salad 
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
2 apples, cored, peeled and shredded
Juice of 2 lemons
4 tablespoons sugar
Boil the shredded cabbage in salted boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes.  Drain & cool.  Combine the lemon juice and sugar to make a dressing.  Toss the cabbage and apples with the dressing.  Cool well before serving.

Polish Vegetable Salad
4 cups cooked, diced potatoes
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
2 cups frozen peas, cooked and drained
3 large dill pickles, diced (optional)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Mix the potatoes with the vegetables, pickles, onions and dill.  Season with salt and pepper.

Mix mayonnaise with sour cream and mustard.  Combine dressing and vegetable mixture.

Chill thoroughly.  Arrange salad in a pretty bowl.  Sprinkle top with the chopped or sliced egg. A few slices of radish and sprigs of dill will add a nice touch of color.  

Polish Hamburgers "Kotlety Siekane"

Witamy:
I struggled with what to call these meat patties in English.  Google translate wasn't very helpful because they are not cutlets as we think of Pork or Lamb cutlets. As you can see from the picture, they aren't traditional burgers, they aren't baby meatloaves, and they aren't Caribbean meat patties. So I decided to just not worry about it, because anyone who grew up with classic Polish cuisine is probably familiar with these traditional "kotlety siekane."

The texture and flavor of these patties are vaguely reminiscent of a Polish meatloaf…only more dense.  What makes them truly Polish is that they are rolled in breadcrumbs, and browned before baking.  The recipe here is a classic version, but you can easily make it your own by adding into the meat mix some finely chopped, fresh mushrooms and dill (of course) or other herb.  But please be cautious with the herbs—too much, or more than one, could be overwhelming. After all, the meat is the star of this dish.

You can also freeze any leftover patties and serve them later for a quick and delicious cold lunch, sliced thinner on a very fresh, crisp hard roll with sliced tomato and a little mayo, and with a crunchy Polish dill pickle on the side.  

Yields 6 patties 

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 slices of dry white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 ½ pounds meatloaf mix, OR: 
    1 pound ground beef
    ½ pound pork
1/3 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Soak the bread in the milk until all the milk is absorbed by the bread.  Rip the wet bread into very small pieces.  

Saute the chopped onion in the bacon drippings until golden.  Set aside to cool.  (Hint: we always keep a jar of bacon drippings in our fridge for just these kinds of uses.)

Combine the beef, pork, egg, bread, and onions in a large bowl.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Form the mixture into 6 thick, round patties about three inches across, and one inch thick.  Roll them in bread crumbs.  Brown the patties in the oil.  Place the patties in a casserole dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

In the interest of healthier eating, you could also make these with ground chicken or turkey, as shown in this image borrowed from   http://www.mojkulinarnypamietnik.pl/

Garnish with a sprig of dill, and serve with your favorite vegetables, sliced tomato, cabbage beet salad, or any other seasonal side dish.
Smacznego!