Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

by Tom Ashworth

5 servings

Dried Mushrooms

• ¾ cupdried mushrooms (porcini or other forest mushrooms)
• ¾ cupwater, for soaking

Stew

• 4.5 ozpork shoulder
• 4.5 ozbeef chuck
• ½ tspsalt, for the meat
• black pepper, for the meat
• 1 to 1 ½ tbspoil
• 3 slicessmoked bacon
• ½large onion
• 4 ozbutton mushrooms
• ½ headsmall head of white cabbage
• 9 ozsmoked kielbasa
• 8 ½ tbspchicken, beef or vegetable stock
• 3 oztomato paste
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 to 2 ½ leavesbay leaves
• ½ clovegarlic
• 5whole black peppercorns
• 5whole allspice berries
• ¼ tspground black pepper
• 1.65 lbsauerkraut
• 3pitted prunes