Pierogi

Submitted by: Twin2
Last Updated: 1/17/2008

2 cups (1 pint) sour cream
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Cut in half and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Roll out each half into a thin circle. Using a drinking glass, cut the dough into round circles and fill them with desired filling. Place less than a tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle and fold over. Press and seal into a half moon. You may want to rub a bit of water on the edges in order to get a great seal. Cook for 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. They can be pan-fried in butter at this point, if you wish for a really tasty finish.

Cheese Potato Filling

Boil peeled potatoes, about 1 ½ pounds, drain and mash with a little butter and milk. Add grated sharp Cheddar cheese to the potatoes and cool (the more cheese, the tastier). Taste for salt and black pepper.

Sauerkraut and Mushroom Filling:

1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 oz. dried mushrooms, soaked for ½ hour in 1 cup warm water
2 cups fresh sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Butter

Soak the mushrooms and drain them in a fine sieve. Chop the mushrooms finely. Pan-fry the onion and mushrooms in the butter until the onion is clear. Add the sauerkraut and salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes and cool.

Cabbage and Mushroom Filling:

The same as the filling above but use two cups finely shredded cabbage instead of sauerkraut.

Pagach Cabbage Filling:

Cook 1 large peeled and sliced onion in ½ to ¾ cup oil until soft. Add shredded green cabbage (medium head) and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the cabbage is soft. Drain the excess oil.

Cheese Filling:

1 cup dry-curd cottage cheese 2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon melted butter 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 egg beaten

Run the cheese through a ricer, or a coarse sieve. Then mix well with everything else.

Meat Fillings:

Various cooked meats may be used such as turkey, beef, pork, etc. Simply grind the meat, add raw egg, salt and pepper, and any additional desired seasonings, such as dill, parsley or chives.

Hint: For LOW-FAT PIEROGI DOUGH this recipe works great with yogurt instead of sour cream. Simply add 1/2 cup additional flour to the recipe along with the yoghurt instead of the sour cream. Substitute vegetable oil for the butter.

Notes from Cathy: I haven’t tried the low fat version. I don’t make them that often and we are usually ready for a gourmet extravaganza!

These recipes are taken from “The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors” cookbook. The dough recipe, the cheese pierogi filling, sauerkraut and mushroom, cabbage and mushroom and meat pierogi recipes are all from the Polish section. The cheese and potato filling and the Pagach cabbage filling are from the Russin (Ukraine) section.

The dough is very tender, I found it worked best to have the water at a gentle simmer and don’t crowd the pierogi in the pan. The dough is very easily torn if touched while cooking.

I use a ravioli maker form for speed in making them. Works great and cuts the time in half. If you want the traditional shape, forms are available and I recommend them for speed. These take hours to make individually.

I always make the cheese potato filling and make a whole pan full of potatoes, mash and add the cheese, etc.,and I put about a tablespoon in each pierogi. Cook what you need and freeze the rest in layers divided by waxed paper.

My Ukrainian step-mother made a sauce for the boiled pierogi that was just delicious. She never fried hers, as described, and I don’t like to. I find that it toughens the dough.

Ann’s Sauce for Pierogi:

Carmelize onions in butter until they are soft and brown, but not burned. Over medium heat stir in sour cream until it makes a lovely sauce, add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over plated pierogi serve immediately. Can you say “Yum”?