While visiting Poland during the summer of 2004, I discovered the rich taste of bigos for the first time. This recipe replicates the bigos served at the Zywiec Brewery.  Located at the foot of the Tatra Mountain in southern Poland, the Zywiec Brewery is surrounded by lakes and dramatic hillsides.  

Ingredients

1 Six Pack Zywiec Beer

1 LB Slab Bacon

3 LB Kapusta (Rinsed, drained & chopped)

3 LB Smoked Kielbasa

5-8oz Dried Polish Mushrooms

1 Large Ham Bone

1 White Onion

1 Whole Garlic

1 pkg Bigos Spices (Purchased at Euro Deli on Clinton Street)

1 can Tomato Paste, Salt, Pepper, Water

Directions

Open one bottle of Zywiec. Fill into a tall, glass, take a long sip. In a small sauce pan, add 3/4 water and dried mushrooms. Bring to boil, let sit. Cube 1 lb of kielbasa and entire slab of bacon. Dice onion and press 5 cloves of garlic. Add sausage, bacon, onions and garlic to large skillet. Fry mixture under medium flame until lightly browned. 

In a large crock pot, add kapusta, fresh ham bone, mushrooms with broth and bigos spices. Cut remaining kielbasa into 3 inch pieces, add to crock pot. Add remaining cloves of garlic.  Add pepper & salt to taste. Mix thoroughly. Open second bottle of Zywiec. Pour entire bottle into crock pot. Mix again.

Let sit cooking in crock pot for 2-3 hours. Stir contents every 30 mins. Drink remaining four Zywiec while waiting for bigos to cook. 

Note: For optimum taste, let bigos sit overnight in refrigerator. When ready to serve, cook for one-hour in crock pot. Serve with glasses of Zywiec 

- Submitted by Parishioner Martin Biniasz

Split Peas & Cabbage, or Kapusta z Grochem in Polish, is a traditional side dish at Wigilia the Christmas Eve dinner. The meal is meatless but this dish, which is as much starch as vegetable, also can be served with a garnish of fried bacon if you're not fasting.

Makes 4 to 6 servings of Polish Split Peas and Cabbage

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound dried split yellow peas, rinsed

3 cups boiling water

1 small head cabbage (about 2 pounds), shredded

1 quart sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (reserve some of the kraut juice)

3 cups water

Salt and black pepper

1 onion, chopped fine

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound bacon, chopped (if not fasting)

Preparation:

Combine peas and boiling water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue boiling 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let soak 30 minutes. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes, or until cooked down into a puree, adding more water if necessary. Set aside. 

Meanwhile, in large pot or Dutch oven, place shredded cabbage, sauerkraut and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 1 hour. realilize

While cabbage is cooking, saute onion in butter until golden brown but not burned. Set aside.

Add cooked peas to cabbage mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and some kraut juice if too dry. Add sauteed onions, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. Heat until warm throughout and serve.

Note: Optionally, saute onion with chopped bacon, omitting the butter, until bacon is cooked through, but not crispy. Add to cabbage with cooked peas.