Prairie Kitchens - Bigos

Polish newcomers to Saskatchewan, whether 100 years ago or one year ago, have a soft spot in their hearts for bigos, a traditional winter stew.

Eva Sylwestrowicz, who grew up in northern Poland, remembers wonderful winter picnics when friends and family went into the woods by horse-drawn sleigh and ate bowls of bigos warmed over a bonfire. "Someone went ahead to prepare the bonfire," she says. "There was bigos and bread, vodka and wine. And hot chocolate for the children. It was a special time."

Eva came to Saskatoon in 1982, escaping communist Poland with her husband Thomas and their young children, Magda and Wojtek. Their journey is intriguing. Thomas, a physician, had gone to London, England, for a research fellowship but his family was not allowed to go with him.

On the pretext of entertaining his colleagues – and making a good impression – he asked Eva to send him his mother's silverware and the good linens. Thus they spirited some family treasures out of the country.

On a cold winter day, Eva and the children left for a vacation in Tunisia, an approved holiday destination, with nothing but a suitcase of summer clothes. They had to go to East Germany to catch their flight, but as soon as they got there, they changed directions for London and from there to Canada.

Bigos (bee-gōs) is considered better with each reheating. Leftovers are added to the pot creating a "perpetual stew" that lasts a week, ready to reheat for unexpected company or a winter picnic.

Bigos
1/2 cup dried mushrooms
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika or 2 juniper berries, finely crushed
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup leftover roast meat
6–8 canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium cabbage head, shaved
1/2 lb sauerkraut
2 tbsp plum jam or honey

Soak mushrooms in boiling water to soften. Heat oil in a stew pot. Cook onion until soft. Stir in paprika or juniper berries, salt and pepper.

Add garlic and bacon. When bacon and onions are cooked, add the rest of the meat, tomatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms and mushroom water.

Add enough cold water to almost cover the contents. Cover the pot and simmer for several hours, until the cabbage is meltingly soft. Stir in plum jam or honey.

(This article first appeared in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.)

Soup as Medicine

Why does a good brothy soup make my nose run? Even when I don't have a cold? It feels so therapeutic, cleansing, healthy.

If I did have a head cold, I'd want a bowl of this soup. It's an old Polish recipe that can be made entirely with Saskatchewan ingredients. Tip: I often use Kissel sauerkraut, made at Lumsden and sold in the produce section of bigger grocery stores.

 

Bigos
This soup is particularly suited to using leftover meat of any sort.

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 loose cup dried mushrooms (I used chanterelle)
1/4 cup canola oil (or drippings from a roast)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
4 cooked farmer's sausages, sliced (I used leftover bratwurst and pork roast)
10 frozen tomatoes, thawed (I used fresh - it's that time of year)
1/2 medium cabbage head, shaved
1/2 lb sauerkraut
2 tbsp plum jam (or other thick jam)

Pour the boiling water over the mushrooms and leave to soften.

Heat the oil in a stew pot. Cook the onions and garlic until soft. Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper. Add the bacon and garlic. When the bacon and onions are fully cooked, add the meat, tomatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms and mushroom water. Add enough cold water to just about cover the contents of the pot. Place the lid and simmer for several hours, until the cabbage is meltingly cooked. Stir in plum jam and cook until melted.

Like all soups and stews, bigos gets better every time you cool and reheat it, so plan to eat it over a few days. Or as long as your cold lasts.

I can do better...

On a recent road trip, I ate a bowl of bigos in a Polish restaurant in Creston, B.C. It's a traditional meat and sauerkraut stew translated to English as Hunter's Stew. To tell you the truth, it was rather mediocre. But I liked the concept and decided I could do better. When I got home, I made this version...

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 loose cup dried mushrooms (porcini and chanterelle)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb back bacon, cut in strips
4 cooked farmer's sausages, sliced
10 frozen tomatoes, thawed
1/2 medium cabbage head, shaved
1/2 lb sauerkraut

Pour the boiling water over the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are soft, pour off and save the water.

Heat the oil in a stew pot. Cook the onions and garlic until soft. Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper. Add the back bacon and garlic. When the bacon and onions are fully cooked, add the sausage, tomatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms and mushroom water. Add enough cold water to just about cover the contents of the pot. Place the lid and simmer for several hours, until the cabbage is meltingly cooked.

Like all soups and stews, bigos gets better every time you cool and reheat it, so plan to eat it over a few days.

Sauerkraut, mon petit chou chou?

I didn't grow up with sauerkraut, so it's not part of my culinary tradition. But I think, deep down inside, it is part of my ancestral heritage going back to the "Old Country" in Germany and Russia. So, I was excited to discover we have a thriving sauerkraut industry here in Saskatchewan.

Kissel Cabbage is located in Lumsden. It processes tens of thousands of cabbages yearly, which are grown nearby at Craven. I recently bought the sauerkraut and sour cabbage heads (which are used for making cabbage rolls). You can find them in grocery stores across Western Canada. Check it out: Kissel Cabbage.