I know this blog is supposed to be dedicated to quick and easy recipes, of which this dish fits neither categroy. Nevertheless, this was quite the accomplishment in my cooking career so I had to post it. Enjoy!
Pierogies
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutesIngredients:
•2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
•1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
•butter and onions for sauteing
•ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)
Preparation:
Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.
Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.
Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.
Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.
Homemade Pierogi Tips:
1.If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
2.If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
3.You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.
Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling: Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.
Source: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm
My Notes:
- The potato filling makes much more than the dough. We found that 3 batches of dough was perfect for the amount of filling this recipe made. If you don't want to make a lot, my suggestion is to cut down the filling recipe.
- When you boil the pierogies they will float. Continue cooking them for the full 8 minutes.
- You can use any seasonings for the filling or to sautee with in the frying pan. For the filling, in addition to the potatoes, onions and cheese, I used bacon bits, parsley, salt and pepper. When we sauteed them in the frying pan, we did so with butter, onions and Bacon Bacon (from Tastefully Simple) on top.
- Use a cooling rack to dry the pierogies after boiling and before frying. It helps the bottoms dry much faster.
The potato, cheese and onion filling
Scooping the filling on the cut-out dough
Sealing the pierogie with a fork
A plate of uncooked pierogies
Boiling the pierogies
Frying the pierogies
