Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

by Tom Ashworth

30 servings

Dried Mushrooms

• 4 ½ cupsdried mushrooms (porcini or other forest mushrooms)
• 4 ½ cupswater, for soaking

Stew

• 750 gpork shoulder
• 750 gbeef chuck
• 3 tspsalt, for the meat
• black pepper, for the meat
• 6 to 9 tbspoil
• 18 slicessmoked bacon
• 3large onion
• 675 gbutton mushrooms
• 3 headssmall head of white cabbage
• 1500 gsmoked kielbasa
• 750 mlchicken, beef or vegetable stock
• 510 gtomato paste
• 6 tspsalt
• 12 to 15 leavesbay leaves
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 30whole black peppercorns
• 30whole allspice berries
• 1 ½ tspground black pepper
• 4.5 kgsauerkraut
• 18pitted prunes