Bigos

Instructions

1. 1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, then brown them on all sides for six minutes until a deep crust forms. Remove and set aside. Brown the sliced turkey kielbasa for three minutes and set aside.
2. 2 In the same pot, saute the diced onion for five minutes until softened. Add the rinsed sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage, stirring to combine. Cook for ten minutes, allowing the fresh cabbage to wilt and meld with the tangy sauerkraut.
3. 3 Return the browned beef and turkey kielbasa to the pot. Add the soaked sliced mushrooms with their strained soaking liquid, crushed tomatoes, halved prunes, bay leaves, allspice berries, and caraway seeds. Stir everything together thoroughly.
4. 4 Pour in the red wine or beef broth and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pot and cook on the lowest heat for two hours, stirring every thirty minutes to prevent sticking on the bottom.
5. 5 After two hours, the beef should be very tender, the cabbage silky soft, and the prunes dissolved into the sauce adding their characteristic sweetness. The stew should be thick and rich with no excess liquid pooling on the surface.
6. 6 Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Traditional bigos actually tastes better the next day after the flavours have had time to meld overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently and serve with dark rye bread and cold beer or vodka.