I picked up a Russian, Polish, & German cookbook at my friend’s yard sale the other day. I love Eastern European food, but the only thing I can really make is borscht. I decided to try something different – a dish called bigos – but I don’t think I did it right. It was tasty, but I mistook/read the “chuck steak” as “ground chuck,” so it didn’t seem as meaty and fun. It has lasted me all week though, so that’s pretty great. I also decided not to take a picture because it doesn’t look as appetizing and pretty.
Ingredients
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (I used not-dried mushrooms)
1 cup stoned prunes (i don’t know what “stoned prunes” are, so I got regular prunes?)
8oz lean boneless pork
8oz lean venison (I didn’t use it)
8oz chuck steak
8oz kielbasa (I used some other sausage I found)
2 onions, sliced
2 lb can or jarred sauerkraut
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I was too lazy to peel)
2 1/2 cups stock
flour
oil (I used sunflower – it’s awesome)
4 tbsp dry Madeira (a red wine that I didn’t use)
cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
salt, pepper, dill seeds
1. Pour boiling water to completely cover mushrooms and prunes in a bowl and leave for 30 minutes, then drain. And while that does its thing…
2. Cut meat into cubes and toss in flour. I tried to make meatballs with my ground meat, but they just didn’t stay together well.
3. Fry onions in oil for 10 minutes, remove, then brown meat in same pot. Make sure you’re using a big pot. And if you’re using Madeira, remove the meat and simmer the wine for a couple minutes.
4. Combine rest of ingredients in the big pot, adding the stock and seasonings last. Make sure it’s all mixed up in there!
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours (uncover for the last 20 minutes to let liquid evaporate). Yum yum yum.
The recipe recommends you serve with boiled potatoes, which I’m sure would’ve been tasty, but I forgot to pick some up. Enjoy!
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