Traditional bigus from fresh cabbage. bigus recipes with

The name of this dish, for many well-known reasons, is associated with the army. However, we dare to assure you that the real bigus has nothing to do with what is served in army canteens. The bigus cooked according to all the rules of fresh cabbage is a delicious, nourishing dish and to some extent even exquisite. And it is definitely worth a try!

Not just braised cabbage!

Bigus is an ancient traditional Polish dish. And if you tell the Pole that this is just a stewed cabbage with meat, then insult him to the depths of the soul. For a resident of this country, bigus is a work of art, a culinary symphony, a poem, if you will!

Once, in poor times, for the Polish peasants bigus was a means of survival. And this is not a figurative expression. There is a legend that it was thanks to the reserves of the frozen bigus that the monks of one of the Polish monasteries withstood the siege and did not surrender to the enemies.

The preparation of bigus by Polish mistresses today is a real religious rite. Each house has its own recipe, many options. This is the face of the hostess and the social status of her home.

And bigus still freeze! No, of course, today no one makes stocks of this finished product in case of a hungry year or another scourge. But experts say that only frost gives the taste of this dish to fully reveal. And you need to freeze it for at least a day!

But back to the stewed cabbage. What is the difference between bigus? Yes, it's easier to say what they have in common! The true bigus is diverse and diverse, as unique houses in which it is prepared. It may contain many different ingredients. And it is possible to determine both the wealth of the house, the hostess's imagination, and her ability to create culinary masterpieces.

Most often cooked bigus from fresh cabbage with the addition of fermented. The components of a bigus can sometimes seem completely incompatible. But it only seems. In this dish everything is harmonious.

Bigus: a traditional Polish recipe with photos

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of fresh pork;
• 0.3 kg boneless smoked meats;
• 1 head of medium-sized fresh cabbage;
• 0.6 kg sauerkraut without vinegar;
• 2-3 bulbs;
• 0.2 kg of mushrooms (fresh or frozen) or a handful of dry;
• 1/2 Art. prunes;
• 1 large carrot;
• 3 tbsp. l tomato paste or 2 large fresh tomatoes;
• 1 cup red wine;
• Bay leaf;
• 1 tbsp. l no top salt;
• 1/2 tsp Sahara;
• 1 tsp. without top black ground pepper.

Cooking:

1. From the list of ingredients you will get about 6 servings. However, the pan for cooking should be roomy. It is good if it is a pressure cooker, cauldron, cast-iron stew-pan or other heat-resistant dishes with thick walls.
2. Some components can be excluded, others can be added. The rules do not prescribe the hard rules to follow.
3. However, it should be noted that a bigus of fresh cabbage without the addition of fermented will not have the necessary acid and saturation. Tomato paste or even tomatoes alone will not cope with this task.
4. Cut the pork into small pieces and fry them in fat.
5. As soon as the released liquid begins to evaporate, add chopped onions and grated carrots to the meat.
6. After that add sliced ​​mushrooms. If you have dried mushrooms, they need to be poured over with boiling water for a short time, then drained and cut.
7. Add sauerkraut squeezed cabbage.
8. Pour boiling water so that it is well covered products. Close the lid and stew until soft cabbage. It takes about 30-40 minutes. Make small fire. But do not forget to look and pour water.
9. Shred white cabbage and add to the pan. This will have to be done in batches as sinking.
10. A little steamed prunes, cut it and add to the cabbage.
    
11. In a separate pan fry the chopped smoked meats. There may be several types of them, and this is even better. Hunting sausages, smoked sausages, pork layer, bacon, etc. can be used.
12. Add tomato paste to smoked meat and overcook them together. We shift in a common pot.
13. Modern housewives often put in bigus olives. You can do the same, although we did not include them in the traditional recipe. You need to add them at this stage.
14. After all the main ingredients are sent to the pan, the turn of the wine comes.
15. Pour it into the total mass, close the lid and leave to simmer.
16. But if you think that after full preparedness of bigus you can eat it, then you are mistaken. Now you need to send it for a day in the cold or freeze it in the freezer. Only after that will he acquire his true taste.
17. Serve it should be very hot under a stack of ice-cold vodka.

Fresh cabbage Bigus with potatoes

This is a simplified and satisfying everyday version of bigus.

Ingredients:

• 1 small head of fresh cabbage;
• 0.5 kg of potatoes;
• 1 medium carrot;
• 2 tbsp. l tomato paste;
• a handful of mushrooms;
• 1 onion;
• 200 g of smoked meat;
• salt, pepper, bay leaf.

Cooking:

1. In a deep stewpan or thick-walled pot pour a little butter and fry in it finely chopped smoked meats. Add chopped finely onions.
2. Cabbage cut and load into the pan. Salt, pepper.
3. Add chopped or grated carrots. Pour 300-400 g of hot water.
4. Add coarsely chopped peeled potatoes.
5. When the potatoes are soft, add the tomato.
6. But you can add previously boiled potatoes in an almost ready dish.
7. Close the lid and simmer until tender.

Delicious bigus with sausage

The basis of the recipe of cooking bigus with sausage remains the same. Sausage is cut, fried separately, and then added to the cabbage.

The taste will be richer if you add mushrooms to the dish. In this case, they will need to fry with sausage and tomato paste.

When cooking, you can put only a portion of the sausage in the dish, and boil the rest and serve with a bigus.

Bigus with rice and cabbage

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice;
• 300 g pork;
• 200 g of smoked meat;
• 1 medium head of cabbage;
• 2 tbsp. l tomato paste;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking:

1. Cabbage chop, put in a large pot, pour 5 tbsp. water, salt and put on fire.
2. As soon as the cabbage settles, pour the washed rice to it.
3. Turn pork with smoked meat through a meat grinder and fry in oil in a separate pan. At the end put the tomato and a little more overcook.
4. Add minced roasted with tomato to cabbage.
5. Stew until tender. Ensure that there is enough liquid on the bottom. If necessary, add hot water.
6. Fresh cabbage Bigus with rice can be served as a separate dish. Smoked sausages are ideal for him.

On the basis of the proposed recipes, you can invent your own. Bigus from fresh cabbage allows you to make all sorts of culinary compositions. Very tasty, it turns out with the meat of wild animals. But we still recommend acquaintance with Bigus from the traditional Polish recipe. And he will radically change your idea of ​​a simple stewed cabbage!