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pot full of polish sauerkraut stew with sausages.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Sauerkraut Stew – Polish Bigos Recipe

Warming sauerkraut stew or bigos with pork and spicy sausages, one of the most popular Polish recipes.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Course: Stews
Cuisine: Polish
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Calories: 327kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
  • 3 oz smoked bacon cubes 75 g
  • 1 onion
  • 1 teaspoon juniper corns
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 lb pork stewing meat 450 g, smoked if available
  • 13 oz cups sauerkraut about 2 ½ cups/ 350 g
  • 1.6 lb white cabbage about 10 cups/ 750 g
  • 12 oz tomatoes about 2 cups/ 350
  • 3 oz tomato paste 75 g
  • 2 cups chicken or beef stock 500 ml
  • 0.35 oz dried porcini 10 g
  • 10.5 oz Polish sausage cabanossi or Krakauer 300 g
  • 2-4 teaspoons plum butter or jam to taste (plum butter is less sweet than jam, so use to taste)
  • fine sea salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Prepare ingredients: Cube the bacon, if necessary. Chop the onion finely. Cut the pork into cubes. Rinse the sauerkraut and let it drain in a sieve. Chop the white cabbage. Chop the tomatoes. Slice the cabanossi.
  • Saute: Heat the lard or oil in a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot. Fry the bacon for a few minutes. Add the finely chopped onion, the crushed juniper seeds, and the caraway seeds and stir for a few more minutes.
  • Add the pork pieces to the pot and cook until well browned, about 2 or 3 minutes on high heat.
  • Add sauerkraut, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock to the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Porcini: In the meantime, soak the porcini in 200 ml/ about ¾ cup of warm water. Drain, but reserve the soaking liquid. Chop the porcini and add them to the pot together with their soaking liquid.
  • Add the sausage slices as well. Add two teaspoons plum butter or jam, cover, and continue simmering for one hour.
  • Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more plum butter or jam, if necessary. Serve hot or reheat when needed; it tastes even better the next day.

Notes

I recommend cooking the stew one day in advance and let it develop the flavors overnight.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 1623mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g