Hunters Stew Recipes

HUNTER'S CHICKEN STEW (POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Chicken cacciatora seems to be reasonably well known in Britain because it's the classic pre-packed dish you find in Italian food ranges in supermarkets (which, to be honest, never taste of much). When you get the real deal cooked at home with love and passion it's a totally different experience. It's a simple combination of flavours that just works really well. Cacciatore means 'hunter', so this is obviously the type of food that a hunter's wife cooks for her fella when he gets home from a hard morning spent in the countryside. This is also a great dish for big parties, as it looks after itself in the oven. In the picture I've made it for about 12 people.
• Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put them into a bowl. Add the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs and the crushed clove of garlic and cover with the wine. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge.
• Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust the chicken pieces with flour and shake off any excess. Heat an ovenproof pan, add a splash of olive oil, fry the chicken pieces until browned lightly all over and put to one side.
• Place the pan back on the heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry gently until golden brown, then add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes (broken up with a wooden spoon) and the chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid or a double thickness layer of foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1½ hours.
• Skim off any oil that's collected on top of the sauce, then stir, taste and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, and serve with a salad, or some cannellini beans, and plenty of Chianti.

BIGOS (HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and kielbasa; cook and stir until the bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.
• Coat the cubes of pork lightly with flour and fry them in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the casserole. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, fresh mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown.
• Deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with the bay leaf, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute.
• Mix in the dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Heat through just until boiling. Pour the vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

HUNTER'S CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and place in a large bowl. Add bay leaves, rosemary, and crushed clove of garlic; pour over wine. Let marinate for at least an hour, in the refrigerator, but preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Coat chicken pieces with flour; shaking off any excess. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, 5 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and add the sliced garlic. Cook gently until golden brown, then add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes, and chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, and cover. Transfer to oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
• Skim off any fat from the surface of the sauce, and discard. Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves and rosemary before serving.

ITALIAN HUNTERS STEW

Steps:

• Toss meat with flour; brown on all sides in oil in 5-qt. Dutch oven. Add garlic and onions; saute until tender. Stir in the broth, seasoned salt, chili powder, oregano and rosemary. , Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and carrots. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat and carrots are tender. Stir in macaroni; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese.

HUNTER'S STEW

Steps:

• Brown ground beef (season as you like); put in dish & add onion.
• Layer the celery, carrots, and potatoes.
• Blend the italian seasoning, salt & pepper, soups & water. Pour over mixture & blend slightly.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until done.
• *I usually add a 1/2 tsp of minced garlic as well. You can increase the water to 1 & 1/2 cans if it is too thick for your preferences.

HEARTY HUNTER'S STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil over medium heat. Add 4 cups water and scrape to loosen any browned drippings from pan. Add the tomato juice, onions, celery, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. , Discard bay leaves; add the carrots, rutabaga and potatoes. Cover and cook for 40-60 minutes. , Stir in the peas; cook for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

BAVARIAN HUNTER'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Coat cubed beef evenly with salt and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
• Add beef and stir frequently with a wooden spoon until meat is evenly browned.
• Add onion and mushroom. Cook until onion becomes transparent, stirring occasionally.
• Add dry red wine and stir to evenly coat meat, mushrooms, and onions. Reduce heat to low and simmer meat and vegetables in red wine for 30 minutes.
• Add beef stock. Mix thoroughly and simmer mixture for another 30 minutes.
• Add potato and carrots. Mix thoroughly and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Check and make sure carrot and potatoes are tender. If not, continue to cook stew, checking every 5 minutes.
• When potatoes and carrots are soft, remove stew from heat and ladle into bowls to serve.

BIGOS (POLISH HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Place sauerkraut in a large pan or casserole dish and pour in 4 cups of boiling water. Add prunes, allspice, and bay leaves. Simmer until Sauerkraut is soft, about 50 minutes.
• Pour about 1 cup of boiling water over mushrooms and soak to rehydrate, about 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms, reserving the liquid.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add onion and sausage. Saute while stirring until onion is soft and sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate pan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add beef, pork, and bacon. Simmer until cooked through for 20 minutes, then drain.
• When sauerkraut is soft, add the drained meat mixture, sausage-onion mixture, and soaked mushrooms; mix well. Simmer uncovered over low heat, about 20 minutes.
• Pour in red wine and cook for 15 minutes until flavors are well blended. Season with caraway seeds, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomato puree. If the stew is too dry, pour in some of the water reserved from soaking the mushrooms, and simmer so flavors combine, about 5 minutes.

SLOW-COOKER HUNTER'S STEW WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• In 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients; mix well.
• Cover; cook on Low setting for 6 to 7 hours.

POLISH HUNTER'S STEW

Steps:

• Cook the bacon until well browned and crisp.
• Remove bacon and reserve.
• Add onion to bacon drippings and saute until golden.
• Add mushrooms and saute briefly.
• Add flour, mix, then add wine and deglaze pan.
• Combine all ingredients including the drained sauerkraut and bacon in a braising pan and add enough rather thin brown veal or chicken stock to almost cover.
• Place in a 350 degree oven with cover until meats are tender.
• Serve with a dolop of sour cream.
• NOTE: This dish has traditionally been used as way to use leftover roasts at the end of a holiday period and the above meats are only a suggestion.
• Literally any meats, fowl or game may be used and the dish is better when reheated.
• Turkey leftover from Thanksgiving would be a good use of this recipe.
• Additional cabbage may be added besides the sauerkraut if desired.