Hunter’s stew

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes soaking time Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 6

I have thought about making this dish, known as bigos in Polish, for decades; I read about it in one of those Schwartz spices pamphlets but never got round to it. Even if you don’t like the idea of sauerkraut, which is a key ingredient, make it – it’s a great dish with interesting spicing. Keep it in the fridge overnight – it tastes even better the next day. I’d serve this with rustic, nubbly buckwheat or pearl barley kasha, or with mashed potato.

INGREDIENTS

– 15g dried wild mushrooms (porcini if possible) – 2 tbsp sunflower oil – 500g pork belly, cut into cubes, mostly trimmed of excess fat

– 300g smoked Polish

sausages, sliced

– 1 large onion, finely

sliced

– 350g white cabbage (tough core removed), chopped

– 2 tsp caraway seeds

– 2 tsp juniper berries,

crushed

– 1 tsp whole allspice,

pounded – 3 garlic cloves, grated

to a purée

– 400g sauerkraut

(drained weight) – 800ml chicken stock – 3 tbsp tomato purée – 2 bay leaves

– 16 moist dried prunes,

halved

METHOD

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a casserole and brown the pork in batches, removing the meat to a bowl when coloured.

Do the same with the sausages, removing them to the same bowl.

Heat the oil that’s left in the pan and sauté the onion and cabbage until golden.

Add the spices, garlic, sauerkraut, stock, tomato purée and bay leaves.

Put the meat back and add the mushrooms and their soaking liquid. Season and bring to a simmer.

Cover with a lid, partly open at the side, and cook on a gentle heat for an hour.

Halfway through, add the prunes and remove the lid to continue cooking. By the end, the meat should be tender and the juices reduced.