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Bigos in a bowl
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Bigos (Hunter's Stew)

A classic Polish stew, bigos offers four different types of meat in a red wine broth for your next stew craving! A hearty and meaty comfort food!
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine European
Keyword Bigos, Bigos Recipe, How Can I Make Bigos, How Do I Make Bigos
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings 8 - 10 servings
Calories 938kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ounce dried mushrooms,
  • 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 pound bacon, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 5 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup apple cider, plus if you want more sweetness
  • 1 heaping tablespoon beef flavor Better Than Bouillon
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juices
  • 8 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 large parsnips, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 14 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
  • 1 cup pitted prunes, quartered
  • 1 (16-ounce) jar sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
  • 16 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons ground marjoram
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, packed, optional

Instructions

  • Place dried mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water, let sit to reconstitute. Drain mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and strain to remove all sediment.
  • Toss beef and pork with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
  • Heat half the olive oil in a Dutch oven and brown beef and pork in batches, adding it to the Dutch oven in a single layer, without crowding the pan. Remove to a bowl and continue with remaining beef and pork adding more oil as needed.
  • Brown chopped bacon in the Dutch oven. Remove to the bowl.
  • Saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings over medium heat until soft. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until wine is reduced by half. Add the beef broth, reserved mushroom liquid, and Better Than Bouillon, reduce heat to simmer and whisk until Better Than Bouillon is dissolved.
  • Add the beef, pork, and bacon back to the Dutch oven, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer 3 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve over cooked noodles.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 938kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 1468mg | Potassium: 1818mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 6855IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 5mg