Pierogi!

And now for something completely different...

I never planned writing food-related posts. But then I thought... cooking is a craft. And it is a vital part of any culture!
I shared my idea with my Sockalong friend - Betina from Tina's Crochet and she got really enthusiastic about it.

Recipe for Polish Pierogi (cheese&potato):

It's a traditional recipe for cheese-potato filled dumplings or as we call it "pierogi ruskie". It can be translated as Russian pierogi.. but it's a bit complicated, since they are not common in Russia. 

NOTE: I did my best to convert it to imperial measures, however remember that proportions are more important than getting the exact weight.

Here's how I do it - this amount was enough to get 72 pierogies:

(and how my Grandma taught me to)

Filling:

1kg  (2.2lb) of peeled and cooked potatoes, mashed.

500g (1,1lb) of curd cheese (it's also called quark), the one I use looks like this:

2-3 onions chopped and fried on a

~1,5 tablespoon of butter - seriously, use butter, if you don't want to use 100% of it just add a little. It changes the taste entirely!

slat and pepper - don't be afraid of using a bit more slat than usual. It tends to be lost during cooking

Mix ingredients to form a homogeneous mass, I recommend using your own hands to do this.

Dough:

750g (1,6lb) of flour

~1cup of warm water (I add just a little milk to it) - if dough is too hard add more.

1 egg

salt - just a pinch

Knead until you get a soft, not sticky dough. 

If you're not in a rush, leave it for a couple of minutes wrapped in plastic - it will rest and be easier to handle later. Also keep the part of dough you're not currently using wrapped! 

Now it's time to make yourself some nice pierogies!

Roll the dough - the thinner the better, but bare in mind it has to hold the filling inside, so don't take it too far. It's not worth breaking your rolling pin over it - trust me:

When you're happy with thickness it's time to cut out the sachets. Most people use a glass, and cut out circles. That's the traditional way to do it. But I prefer cutting my pastry into squares - I have less leftovers and my pierogies are triangle :)

If you're using a silicone mat - careful with knives, you might ruin it (like I did a couple years ago)

You can re-knead the leftovers and roll it again!

Then you do this:

Put a piece of filling in the center, fold in half, secure edges by squeezing them together, and add a little frill by pinching edge with your thumb and index finger. 

Be careful not to make holes in your dough. It is also important that edges are not contaminated with filling! This may cause your pierogies to open.

THIS IS CRUCIAL! Always put your finished pierogies on a tray that has a layer of flour on it! Otherwise they will stick and all your hard work will go to waste.

When your done put your pierogies in a boiling slated water. You want to do it carefully! You can also add few drops of oil to the water - so they won't stick. 

When they start floating cook them for about 3-5 minutes,  stirring gently from time to time. Don't let the water boil too hard! 

Try one, and if the edge is good (doesn't taste like raw flour) - you are done! 

You can serve pierogies with sour creme, fried onion, bacon bits and fried onion - pick your favourite. You can also place a tray with pierogies in a freezer, and when they are well frozen, store them in a bag. You then cook them a bit longer!

That's it! 

I hope you enjoyed it. If I managed to spread knowledge about this incredible dish to even one person - I'll be sooo glad!

Have a nice afternoon! 

Gosia.