Building Bigos

Bigos, the Polish hunter's stew, is made over several days, not hours. Rinse some of the sauerkraut if it's very sour, and mix it with shredded fresh cabbage. Brown pork shoulder, kiełbasa and bacon separately and add them to the pot with dried mushrooms, prunes, juniper, allspice, bay leaf and a glass of red wine. Simmer it on low for two hours. Then cool it, chill it overnight, and reheat it the next day. Repeat once or twice. Each round darkens it and deepens the flavor. It freezes well.