Polish Bigos (Hunters Stew)
Birdwood Venison
A hearty slow-cooked dish, that will taste best on the second day. You can keep it simple with venison and mushrooms, or supplement half of the venison with pork, beef and/or rabbit.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 4 hours hrs
- 1 kg Birdwood Venison (cuts such as round, silverside or topside work well)
- 150 gms Birdwood Venison Landjaeger (Hunters’ Sausage)
- 200 gms mixed mushrooms (foraged Saffron Pine Mushrooms and Slippery Jacks plus supermarket Swiss Browns and Enoki)
- 100 gms dried wild mushroom (foraged Adelaide Hills Porcini)
- 150 gms prunes, pitted
- 1 bottle good red wine
- 3 onions, chopped
- 500 gms sauerkraut (500g for the faint hearted, 1kg for the bold)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 juniper berries, crushed
- 1 Tbsp vegetable stock powder
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
The next day prior to serving
Ensure there is enough fluid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the Landjaeger mushrooms and prunes and continue to simmer. Do not let it dry out, top up with water as required. After 2 hours add the vegetable stock powder and adjust to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with hearty winter sides such as mashed potato, pickled forest mushrooms, beetroot and radish salad and fried red cabbage.