How to cook traditional Polish Bigos

Published by: Dmitri Kartashov on 05/03/2008

As some people know bigos is the most traditional polish dish. As my wife is polish she shared with me the secret of preparing this amazing combination of cabbage and meat.
First thing is to prepare all the ingredients. You will need:

- 2 kg of white cabbage: one kilo of fresh one and one kilo of sour cabbage
- One kg of meat
- 1,2 carrots
- bay leaf
- 2 onions
- Seasoning
- Dry or fresh forest mushrooms

You have to start cooking the bullion first using the meat that later on will be chopped and mixed with cabbage. The best meat would be selection of game, but pork, beef and chicken will do as well.
When the bullion is ready take the meat out and let it cool down. Finely chopped cabbage can now be placed in the bullion and the cooking can start. After simmering for around 4 to 5 hours the cabbage can be mixed with meat. Meat should be chopped or cut into small pieces but not to small so it will not fall apart during long hours of cooking.
Finely chopped onions need to be fried before they can go to the dish. Dry mushrooms are much better if before cooking dip them in water for couple of hours.

When everything is inside the sauce-pan the only thing left is to cook it for a looong time.
Traditionally bigos is cooked for 3 days non-stop. My wife cooks it for around the same time but I would say maybe 5 to 6 hours every day. At let me tell you something. It is delicious!!!
The best thing is that it tastes better and better every time you reheated.
Some people add tomato paste at the final stage but it depends on your taste.

So if you brave enough to spend 3 days locked up in your kitchen I am wishing you good cooking and bon appetite.