What she’d tell you
Bigos is the only dish I know that is genuinely worse on the day you make it. Cook it Saturday, eat it Monday, and by Wednesday people will ask what you did differently.
What you need
Written for 8. Change that in the app and the amounts follow.
Tick things off as you get them ready.
Continue to the method ↓
How it goes
Cut the pork into large chunks, pepper them, and brown them hard in the oil in a heavy pot. Take your time.
Add the diced bacon, the mushrooms, the chopped onion and garlic, and cook until the onion turns clear.
Stir in the bay leaves, juniper berries and honey.
Add the halved prunes and the sliced kielbasa, then pour in the wine. Braise on low for 40 minutes.
Roughly chop the sauerkraut and the fresh cabbage and stir them in, with a splash of water if it looks dry.
Lid on, lowest heat you have, and leave it 2 hours. Stir it now and then.
Finish with the vinegar, then taste. It should be sour, smoky and faintly sweet all at once.
If you haven’t got it
Pork Shoulder
venison or wild boar, which is the original and worth it if you can get it
Red Wine
beef broth with an extra spoon of vinegar
Juniper Berries
a splash of gin, which is where juniper goes anyway
Keeping it
A week in the fridge, improving throughout.
Medium heat until it is nearly bubbling, about 15 minutes. Freezes for six months.
