Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

by Tom Ashworth

5 servings

Dried Mushrooms

• 18 gdried mushrooms (porcini or other forest mushrooms)
• ≈ 175 gwater, for soaking

Stew

• 125 gpork shoulder
• 125 gbeef chuck
• ≈ 3 gsalt, for the meat
• black pepper, for the meat
• ≈ 14 to 20 goil
• ≈ 84 gsmoked bacon
• ≈ 75 glarge onion
• 115 gbutton mushrooms
• 350 gsmall head of white cabbage
• 250 gsmoked kielbasa
• ≈ 125 gchicken, beef or vegetable stock
• 85 gtomato paste
• ≈ 6 gsalt
• ≈ 0.4 to 0.5 gbay leaves
• ≈ 1.5 ggarlic
• 0.3 gwhole black peppercorns
• 0.9 gwhole allspice berries
• ≈ 0.6 gground black pepper
• 750 gsauerkraut
• ≈ 29 gpitted prunes