Saturday, September 13, 2014
Today, Sunday September 20, 2015 is the Polish Festival at St Brother Albert's Polish Mission in San Jose, CA. In honor of the festival, Rick is reprinting this recipe from September 2014. The dish can be found in Murder Before The Bell.
Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and The Hefty Trio start their own inquiry. They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a former South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action. The excitement continues as Rick and The Hefty Trio while working to solve the mystery indulge in gourmet Mexican, Irish, Italian and Polish dishes from their ethnic heritages, paired with unique wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
Bigos—Hunter's Stew (The Polish national Dish) with Burrell School's Syrah
This recipe comes from the Bigos Bar website first developed by Mike Oborski, the honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in Kidderminister, England. Rick likes this dish with a glass of Burrell School's Syrah because the boldness of the dish is complemented by the boldness of the wine.
Serves 4 (This recipe can be doubled or tripled)
1 lb. sauerkraut
1/2 lb. ham with bone, pork spareribs pork rib roast, or chicken
1 bay leaves
1/2 ounce. dried mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion chopped and sautéed in butter
5 black peppercorns
3 allspice berries
1/4-teaspoon salt
4 cups beef broth,
1 lbs. green cabbage, chopped like sauerkraut
1 tablespoons butter or margarine
l pound of Polish Kiełbasa
Rinse sauerkraut with cold water and drain well. In a large stockpot, combine sauerkraut, ham or pork, bay leaves, mushrooms, peppercorns, allspice and salt. Add 2 cups of broth, bouillon, or water. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes over medium heat. Cover and simmer over low heat 45 minutes. Remove meat and let it cool.
Place cabbage in a large saucepan. Add remaining 2 cups broth, bouillon, or water. Bring to boil. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, 1 hour or until cabbage is tender. Add to sauerkraut mixture. Bone the cooked meat. Cut cooked meat into 1/2-inch cubes.
Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet. Add cooked meat, smoked sausage, and white sausage. Sauté over medium heat 10 minutes or until browned. Add to sauerkraut mixture. Also, add the onions. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour or longer. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve hot.
|
| Bigos, pierogi and salad--delicious! |
The secret of old-time Bigos is that it gets better as it's reheated on successive days, peaking at the 6th or 7th day. In between, store covered in the refrigerator.