Freindly get together - Bigos

4:30 PM and it's already dark, -10 outside, and there is 1 cm of snow on the ground. The bad weather is depressing but a good meal with friends can improve your attitude.

Many Quebeckers like to make raclette and fondue. Small slices of meat and cheese are fine but they are not really comfort food in the middle of January. A cooked meat and vegetable dish is the way to go. Growing up Polish, bigos is our hunter's stew.

Bigos is a rich stew made with different meats and cabbage. The better the meat, the better the bigos. Each Polish cook has their own recipe. The traditional meats used in bigos are deer, pork and sausage. Make sure when you make bigos choose meats that you think your guest will like.

Bigos takes time, make it in advance, so that you can be a good host. This one pot dish is easily transported. Make sure the pot is big because when it is made right, people will want seconds.

Recipe

Bigos
(Polish Hunter's Stew)
Yield: At least 4 meals
Ingredients:

• Half a Fresh Cabbage Coarsely chopped
• 2 cups of Pickled Cabbage
• 4 cups of beef stock
• 3 onions chopped
• Half a cup of Polish Sausage chopped
• Half a cup of Bacon chopped
• Half a cup of cubed veal.
• Shitake Mushrooms chopped
• Dried prunes chopped
• One tomato chopped
• 2 cups of red wine
• 2 spoon of mustard
• Marjoram
• Salt and Pepper
• Bacon fat for frying

Directions:

1. Bring the beef stock to a simmer with the two types of cabbage.
2. Fry the onions and meats in small batches with the bacon fat and add to the stew.
3. Add the remained of the ingredients.
4. Simmer for about a hour and a half until it thickens.

You can serve this in a bread bowl.

Have a nice day.