Bigos

There are many options for making bigos. We used an almost classic recipe - with a mix of fresh white and sauerkraut and meat (beef + lard).

Ingredients

• 100 g dry forest mushrooms
• 700-800 g beef shoulder pulp
• 250 g salted bacon, preferably with streaks of meat
• vegetable oil
• 400 g of homemade (Ukrainian) sausage
• 400 g sauerkraut
• 400 fresh cabbage
• 2 large onions
• 2 meaty tomatoes
• 0.5 tbsp. l. cumin seeds
• 6-8 juniper berries
• 8-10 black peppercorns
• salt

Directions

1. Soak mushrooms in 3 glasses of hot water for at least 30 minutes. Then rinse and chop coarsely, strain the infusion through cheesecloth.
2. Cut the beef and lard into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat some oil in a large roasting pan. Add lard and fry until golden brown on both sides.
3. Put sausage and meat cut into large pieces into the roasting pan. Fry until soft, 4-5 minutes. Transfer all the meat to a bowl. Squeeze the sauerkraut.
4. In a roasting pan, sauté the onion, cut into strips until golden brown. Add sauerkraut and cover with mushroom infusion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. Reduce heat. Add all prepared meat, bacon and sausage, stir. Add the diced tomatoes and all the herbs. Bring to a boil, cover very tightly and simmer for at least 1.5 hours. Add a little water or vegetable broth if necessary. Remove from heat and leave warm under the lid for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot with rye bread.