Hunter's Stew
When Justyna Borowska was growing up in Pasłęk, Poland, her household completely revolved around food. She recalls how her mother would begin preparing the main meal first thing every morning.
“I’ll tell you [what] the grandma’s life looks like in Poland,” says Borowska, 38. “When you wake up, you think about what to cook for dinner or lunch. You put the pot of soup or stew on the stove for cooking, so by two, three o'clock, you have your soup and you have your stew ready.
“In a traditional Polish household, you would have a nice breakfast; at two o’clock you have a dinner; and at six o’clock, we call that ‘kolacja,’ which is supper.” She adds that the mid-afternoon meal always consists of a hearty dish, while the late meal is lighter fare, often sandwiches. “We eat a lot,” she says with a laugh.
Since emigrating to Canada in 2020, Borowska has made a brisk business of doling out her traditional favourites at Wedel — Touch of Europe, a café and deli with locations in the ByWard Market and Westboro. It would be challenging to find another spot in Ottawa that serves up such an impressive array of homemade soups; there are two featured soups daily, plus seven to 10 additional varieties in take-home containers in the fridge or freezer.
With three cooks who hail from Poland and Ukraine, the café favours time-tested recipes from Eastern European countries. Goulash — a traditional Hungarian soup chock full of beef and vegetables — is one of her top sellers. When it comes to nailing the deep, savoury flavour, it seems good things come to those who wait. “It takes seven to eight hours to cook,” Borowska explains. “To cook goulash was a family event, a cultural event. When [you] cook goulash, you have a party; invite your friends. [You] would cook outside in the garden, and it was an all-day tradition.”
At Wedel, the base of the goulash is lard with smoked paprika, Borowska says. Onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots and beef are added, then left to simmer all day. Finally, homemade pasta — called ‘galuska’ — is added to thicken the broth. “By the end, after a whole day of cooking, you have the flavour. You would take a nice piece of rye bread and dip it in.”
“In European culture, every country has its own stew,” Borowska says, adding that besides root vegetables, meat, herbs and spices, a good stew requires an excellent base, namely, a broth.
“They’re simple dishes, but they take a long time.” Wedel’s pork stew offers up a very thick broth, and takes five to six hours to prepare.
“You marinate and prepare your meat for better flavour,” says Borowska, adding that a good quality pork shoulder is the preferred cut. The meat simmers with root vegetables, parsley, garlic and juniper berries and is seasoned with bay leaf, cumin and a bit of paprika.
For Borowska, hunter’s stew — known as “bigos” in Polish — is the dish that conjures up the strongest childhood memories. “It was always at our table, at Christmas, any event, you always had the sauerkraut,” she says, referring to the base of the stew. “The hunter’s stew has a smoky flavour because we use smoked pork ribs.”
Making hunter’s stew is a three-day process, Borowska explains. Every day, you add different ingredients.
“It’s cooked for a long, long time on low heat, in the oven or on the stove,” she says. The first day is dedicated to cooking sauerkraut; Wedel makes its own from scratch. On the second day, a second type of cabbage is added, along with the meat. Finally, dry wild mushrooms, smoked ribs and woodsmoked sausage join the other ingredients. Some versions also include dry or smoked plums.
Along with every sausage or schnitzel sold, Wedel gives out a small side portion of hunter’s stew. While it’s not a dish with a lot of broth, the balance between tart and smoky makes it very distinctive. Borowska says a larger, meal-sized portion is also available — this one served up with mashed potatoes and added broth.
Whether it’s for her own young family or her new community in Ottawa, preserving the authentic recipes from home is vital for Borowska. Some of her customers have been moved to tears when tasting her food, as it invokes strong memories of their own grandmothers.
Wedel — Touch of Europe
5 ByWard Market Sq. | 300 Richmond Rd., Ottawa
613.237.0151 | 613.695.7600 | @wedeltouchofeurope
