Recipe: Pierogie

I wish I can remember where I came across this recipe. They sound so good!

Pierogi Dough
Makes 70

4 cups flour
2 eggs
5 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoon oil (I use safflower)

I always make my dough in food processor. Put flour in bowl and pulse in beaten eggs, sour cream, oil and salt. Next pulse in the water. When the dough starts to come off side of bowl take dough out and knead into a smooth pliable dough. Divide dough into quarters. Take one fourth of the dough out and keep other pieces covered with a damp cloth. Roll dough out into a 1/16th inch thick rectangle. Cut dough into 3 1/2 to 4" circles. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle then fold dough in half over the filling and crimp edges with your fingers, forming a very tight seal. Transfer finished pierogi to a lightly floured pan until ready to cook or freeze pierogi individually then transfer to ziplock bags and store in deep freeze (best not to freeze in frost free freezers). When you want to cook the pierogies bring a 2 quarts of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Keep another pot of water boiling to use to refill pot. Drop 5 pierogies into the water, stirring gently to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot and cook savory pierogies for about 4-5 minutes or until they float. Cook fruit pierogies 10-15 minutes. Remove from pot, rinse with hot water, drain in colander and repeat process until finished. Pat dry. If savory pierogies, saute in butter until browned on each side, about 5-6 minutes. Place in casserole and keep hot in oven. Serve hot with sauteed onions. Do not saute fruit pierogies. Instead brush boiled pierogies with butter or softened cream cheese and serve.

All pierogies can be frozen but you must freeze them on a cookie sheet individually and them place them in a 0 degree freezer that is not frost free. If you don't have a deep freeze you must place layers of waxed or parchment paper between them to keep the pierogies from sticking to one another as the defrost cycle of the freezer will cause them to thaw a little each time it goes on and then you will have a sticky mess of dough to contend with.

Meat Filling for Pierogies

1 lb ground cooked pork, lam, veal or beef
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in large skillet. Add onion; saute' over medium heat until tender. Stir in meat and eggs. Saute' over medium heat about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool. Makes about 4 cups or enough to fill 40 to 45 pierogies

Potato Filling

2 cups potatoes, mashed
Butter and milk
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Sauerkraut Filling

1 pound finely chopped, rinsed, and squeezed-dry sauerkraut
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon sour cream
salt and lots of pepper

Saute sauerkraut with 1 tablespoon of butter. In another pan saute 1 cup of onions in 3 tablespoons butter. Add to kraut. Add sour cream, salt and lots of pepper.

Cheese Filling

2 pounds of dry cottage, ricotta or Farmers' cheese (I use Farmers' but if you use the other cheeses, put them in cheesecloth over a sieve overnight in fridge to drain off excess liquids)
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground white pepper

Sweet Filling

If you like sweet filling do the following to cheese filling:
add 1/4 cup sugar and omit pepper

Plum Filled

I like to add canned plums to sweet cheese filled pierogies and eat them for dessert. Alternately you can just use plums without the cheese as well and just eat them with sweet cheese filled pierogies. They taste best when heated up in a frying pan with butter and then sprinkled with sugar.

You make sweet cheese filled and plum pierogies by putting a canned plum on top of the cheese filling before you close up the dough, OR, you can just make plain pierogies with just plums and just eat them but I like to eat them along with sweet cheese filled pierogies. You can chop the plums and put them in the filling but I think it is more traditional to leave the plums in halves.

For the plum pierogies, put 1/2 a canned plum and 1 tsp. of sugar into each plum pierogi. Alternately you can use blueberries, blackberries, sliced strawberries, or cherries for other fruity dessert pierogies. The cherries will need to be pressed a bit to remove some of the juices. If the cherries are sweet sprinkle them with fresh lemon juice. If they are tart add sugar to taste.

Vanilla-Cheese Filling for dessert filling

1 lbs. dry cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (4 cups)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup seedless raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
sugar to taste

Process cheese in processor but not too finely, then combine it with egg yolk, raisins, vanilla and salt in another bowl. Add sugar to taste. Makes enough to fill 40-45 pierogies.
All the pierogi filling recipes I gave you are generally enough to fill about 40-45 pierogies except for the plum ones which are determined by how many plums you have and of course by how much dough you made.

Pam
"Stressed is desserts spelled backwards!"

E PLURIBUS UNUM

Eventually
Peace Love Unity and Respect Inevitably Blossom
in the Understanding Spirit:
Universal Nexus Underlying the Matrix
A Dh original!

Meddle thee not in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and wouldst be tasty with ketchup.