Thursday, May 14, 2009

Pierogi Patience




Okay, here I go, cutting into the first homemade pierogi I've ever made. . . .drum roll....Mmmmmm... that is some good stuff! Excuse me while I consume all five I put on my plate!

Those were delicious! The dough was tender and light. The filling was good, but not great. I have the remainder in the freezer and know just what to do with them!

A guy my boyfriend works with is getting divorced and eats ALL microwavable boxed junk! I think I'll send some his way, do you think he can handle "boil until they rise" and "melt butter?" I sure as hell hope so. Last week I made cinnamon rolls and told him to take some for his kids, he looked at me cross eyed and said "I don't cook!" Um, hello! I already did all the work, put them in the oven for 15 minutes! Of course you do need to know how to turn the oven on! Anyway, here is the recipe and some pictures of the process. Hope you guys enjoy!

Dough: 2 cups flour
1 t salt
1 egg,whisked
2 T sour cream
1/2 C water

The filling recipe is in the text to follow. Very simple!

Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Add the egg and sour cream. With a wooden spoon OR your hand start stirring while gradually adding the water. Once the water is incorporated use your hands to gently knead the dough until it comes together and isn't sticky. Cover with a towel and let it rest 30 minutes.







While the dough is resting the potato filling can be prepared. Boil 5 medium potatoes in salted water. I usually add a garlic clove or two and a bay leaf for added flavor. Boil until fork tender, drain well. Transfer to a bowl and IF you have a potato ricer, this would be the time to use it. I used two forks to mash the potatoes. Add 6 oz. cheddar cheese and a little salt and pepper. Filling is done.

Roll the dough 1/8 inch thick and cut circles out with a cookie cutter or a cup. Place one teaspoon of potato in the center of each dough round. Holding in one hand, pull the sides of the dough together, starting in the middle. Pinch the dough closed making sure the filling does not come out. You may want to start with less filling until you get the hang of it. PLEASE flour your cookie sheet or plate before you put the pierogi down, it sure took lots of PATIENCE to peel the pierogi off the wax paper! I didn't realize they were stuck until I had all 22 on the sheet!




Put 5 or 6 pierogi in boiling water and boil until they float to the surface.




You can eat them boiled or you can do what I love to do and fry them in butter! Yum!



Serve with sour cream, sauteed onions and crumbled bacon, or a drizzle of melted butter! Hope you love em!


4 comments:

Gypsy Girl Gourmet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Steph said...

Mmmm!!! These look awesome!!! Do you know about my family's deal with pieroghis?? It's a top-secret recipe that we all get together to make every year, but I can tell you that the filling is all about potatoes, farmers cheese, and sauteed onions. Also, we cover the boiled 'rogies in buttery breadcrumbs and then bake them for a while. KILLER!!!

So you're making these in July?? ;)

I LOVE the pictures, by the way!!!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks so yummy!! Including Abby!!

Delicious Dishings said...

I love pierogi! My aunt makes awesome ones, so I spent a day with her learning how. I've made them twice on my own now. Not sure if it will help with your filling, but we use 3/4 pound of white American cheese mixed into the potatoes. A ton of cheese!!

I always serve mine sauteed with onions... never tried bacon though... that's an awesome idea!!