There is a point in every long, slow braise where the meat stops resisting the fork and the whole pot starts smelling like it is nearly ready. That is what these ten stews all have in common, whatever else is in the pot.
From my own two versions of bigos to a Korean kimchi stew and a Spanish one with three meats in it, here is what I reach for when it is cold outside. Smacznego!
1. Bigos Królewski (Polish Hunter’s Stew)
Pin itBigos was always in the house when I was growing up and I did not like it as a child, too much going on in one bowl at once. It is exactly what I like about it now: sauerkraut and fresh cabbage slow-cooked with beef, smoky Polish sausage, dried mushrooms and aromatics until everything runs together, better on the third day than the first. It goes in the slow cooker on purpose, because bigos catches on the base of a hot pot and one scorched patch turns the whole batch bitter. Get the recipe →
2. Bigos Hultajski (Slow Cooker)
Pin itThis is the rogue’s bigos, the everyday one against my more rounded Bigos Królewski: sharper and more direct, built on undrained sauerkraut, beef, smoked kielbasa and a cup of dark beer, with potatoes and carrot going in alongside so the whole dinner cooks in one pot. Like the royal version it goes in the slow cooker, which has no hot spot to scorch against, so there is nothing to stir and nothing to catch. Six hours later, lift the lid on supper. Get the recipe →
3. Kimchi Jjigae (Korean Stew)
Pin itKimchi jjigae is what a Korean kitchen does with kimchi that has gone too sour to eat straight from the jar, and I made this batch with mature kimchi from my own late-summer ferment. It is a thick, spicy stew rather than a soup: pork belly, kimchi, shiitake and tofu simmered until the broth turns deep and savoury. It is forgiving, so most of what goes in can be swapped for whatever the fridge holds, and it is better the next day. Get the recipe →
4. Traditional Beef Bourguignon
Pin itI ate the version this is built on years ago, on holiday in the French countryside, in the village of Saint-Martin-de-Bavel, a plain-looking plate that tasted of far more than it looked. The beef marinates overnight in two-thirds of a bottle of Burgundy with shallot, thyme and bay, then that whole marinade goes into the pot the next day so nothing is wasted, three and a half hours on the hob with no oven needed. Lardons, mushrooms, pearl onions and carrot go in near the end, cooked separately so they still taste of themselves rather than dissolving into the stew. Get the recipe →
5. Steak and Ale Pie (Guinness)
Pin itEight hundred grams of beef stewing steak braised slowly in Guinness with onions, carrots and potatoes until it pulls apart under a fork, all of it finished under a lid of puff pastry that goes on at the last minute. What separates a good steak and ale pie from a harsh one is how much stout goes in against how much beef, and almost nobody publishes that number, so I worked it out and set it against four other well known recipes. There are two small technique details in there too that decide whether the gravy tastes deep or bitter. Get the recipe →
6. Shepherd’s Pie
Pin itGood lean lamb mince with swede, turnip and thyme in a rich gravy, tucked under a buttery Maris Piper mash spooned into rustic peaks and baked until golden. It is a Sunday-supper classic for a reason, hearty and made almost entirely from things you already have in. Shepherd’s pie is lamb and cottage pie is beef, same method either way, so swap the mince below if that is what you fancy. Get the recipe →
7. Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Pin itHungarian goulash is one of those dishes we Poles happily borrow from our neighbours, a brothy, paprika-red beef soup that eats like a full meal rather than a starter. Tender chunks of beef and soft vegetables carry that deep, unmistakable paprika flavour that makes goulash what it is, and it is a forgiving one-pot recipe worth coming back to again and again. Serve it with bread and a good appetite. Get the recipe →
8. Leczo with Smoked Sausage
Pin itI make leczo in the summer when the tomatoes, peppers and courgettes on my own allotment are all ripening at once, a one-pot stew of smoked sausage, Hungarian paprika and whatever vegetables are ready. It started life in Hungary as a summer stew of peppers and tomatoes, and Poland took it, spelled it leczo and made it its own, cooked down until the paprika turns everything a deep red. Leave the sausage out for a vegetarian version, and it is just as good the next day. Get the recipe →
9. Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Potatoes
Pin itLamb shoulder cooked slowly with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and paprika until it gives way, in a sauce sweetened with dates, raisins and apricots rather than sugar. It takes about two hours and almost all of that is the pot looking after itself. The new potatoes are my own addition, there to soak up the sauce, which is worth knowing if you came looking for the traditional version, and you do not need an actual tagine, a heavy lidded casserole does the same job. Get the recipe →
10. Slow Cooker Chilindrón (Spanish Stew)
Pin itChilindrón is a stew from Aragón in northern Spain, and I met it a long way from home, in a small family-run place in a Mallorcan village, the sort locals eat in rather than tourists. Chicken and lamb go soft together in a deep red sauce of peppers and tomato, and this slow cooker version is how I hold on to that memory, cooked slowly until the two meats stop tasting like two separate things. Good with saffron rice alongside, the way it arrived at my table. Get the recipe →
FAQ
Which of these stews is best for a slow cooker?
Both of my bigos recipes are built specifically for one: bigos catches easily on the base of a hot pot, and a slow cooker has no hot spot to scorch against, so it can be left alone for hours.
Which of these is the quickest to get on the table?
Kimchi jjigae is the quickest, done in a little over an hour, with leczo and shepherd’s pie both under two hours as well. At the other end, both bigos recipes, the chilindrón and the bourguignon are longer, three and a half hours upward, because that is genuinely what it takes for the meat to break down properly.
Do these stews keep and reheat well?
Very well, and several are better the next day rather than worse: both bigos recipes and the kimchi jjigae all improve as they sit, since the flavours need the time to settle. Cool them fully before you fridge them, and reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water or stock if the sauce has thickened up too much.
Which stew is going in your pot this week?
Pick whichever one matches the meat in your fridge, and give it the time it asks for. Smacznego!
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