Sunday, July 3, 2011

Pierogies


Okay. I am very excited to write this blog.
Pierogies are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE food in the whole world. 
Sue and I have a rather mixed family heritage (Dutch - Irish for the most part) but I am 99% sure that Eastern European blood is running through our veins. Well, mine, anyway. Sue is partial to Chinese Cuisine. Hard to explain as we are twins but still possible on a molecular level.
Anyway....I loooooove pierogies. 
There are many different ways to prepare them in terms of fillings and dough.
Potato, cheese, bacon and onion filling is number one. How can you go wrong with those 4 ingredients? I've heard of dessert pierogies but, I'm not going to lie, that does not sound good. Hopefully one day I will get to try them so I will know for sure. I've tried sauerkraut filling and cottage cheese filling and a few others but nothing (so far) has beat good ol' potato, cheese, bacon, and onion.
I have done my best to write down the filling recipe in terms of measurements as it comes from my dad who never measured, just went by how it looked. The dough recipe is one I found online a long time ago and fiddled with until it worked best for me. Feel free to make changes to suit your own tastes!

Pierogies

Ingredients
Dough
3 to 4 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
large pinch of salt
2/3 cup warm water
 
Filling
4 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups aged cheddar, shredded
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
10 strips bacon, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Mix together 3 cups flour, eggs, sour cream, salt, and warm water. Knead lightly, you may have to add more flour until dough loses stickiness.
Cover and let rest while you prepare filling.
Make sure mashed potatoes are hot. Mix in cheese. Fry onion and bacon in frying pan until cooked. Scrape into potato mixture, including drippings. Stir in salt and pepper. Let cool to room temp. (If you try to fill the dough while filling is too hot it will melt the dough.) You can put filling in the fridge to speed cooling process.
Divide dough into 4 sections. Roll out 1 section at a time until dough is very thin, but still thick enough to be handled without ripping. (Here is where my directions get sketchy - I always just go by feel. I'm guessing I roll one section to about 12 X 15 inches) 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. (It helps to wet the edges with your finger dipped in water before sealing) You can also use a pierogi maker such as this one - pierogi maker  to get evenly sized ones. (I confess, I have one, how could I not get a kitchen gadget specifically designed for pierogies?)

See, aren't they pretty?

At this point you can either freeze them for later use or, even better, prepare and eat them now. Before I tell you the absolute best way in the entire world (not exaggerating) to prepare them, I just wanted to note that you can reroll the scraps of dough once. Any more than that the dough is too tough.
Okay, how to prepare the delicious pierogies you have just prepared:

Heat frying pan over medium heat. Slice onion and bacon and add to pan.(As many as you like!!)  When onions and bacon are half cooked, bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop pierogies into boiling water. (You prepare frozen pierogies the same way, they just take a tiny bit longer to boil) When pierogies float to top they are ready. Scoop them out using a slotted spoon and add them to the pan with the onion and bacon. Cook and stir gently until pierogies start to brown. Serve with sour cream.

It doesn't get much better than this. If you are wondering what to serve with it to make it a more complete meal....go with Ukranian sausage. Slice it, broil it til crispy on the outside.


Tell me that doesn't look sooooooo good! Hmmm... I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

What's your favorite food?

Check out Kayla's Creations for some great links!
And don't forget about Ms. enPlace too!

20 comments:

  1. Mmmm mmmm mmmm... oh these looks so good Jo!! Thanks for the recipe, I'll be sure to try it! :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohhhh I have got to track me down some gluten free suggestions for this!! I'm not brave enough to modify it myself, so if anyone else has tried it, I'm all ears!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dad still makes the best periogies ever but we are learning from the best!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow I've never heard of these before - they look very tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks guys! They are soooo amazingly tasty. I hope you give them a try :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perfect perogies!
    My recipe is almost exactly the same. I am eastern European and find that the sour cream in the dough makes the best perogie dough.

    K Goldberg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! I love the dough with sour cream in it.

      Delete
  7. I've only ever had frozen pierogies but I am sure that homemade would be a million times better so thanks for not making it look too hard!

    -Sarah
    www.callmefudge.com

    p.s. I love the quote on your banner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They aren't too hard...just a little time consuming :) Once you get the hang of it they will zip right by.

      Delete
  8. Ok. Don't hate me. I've never had pierogies. Not a one. In fact, I've only heard about them within the past couple of years.

    But 4 cups of potatoes, sour cream, and bacon have me on board.

    Thank you for linking up this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness! You've never tried them? Quick, hurry, go now! I promise they will become a new favorite :)

      Delete
  9. instead of making the dough can you buy it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmmm....I've never seen pierogy dough for sale anywhere. I do live out in the middle of nowhere though so it may be available in the city. Let us know if you have any luck finding it. (That being said, it is really quite simple to whip up a batch of dough - I hope you give it a try if you can't find any to buy!) :)

      Delete
  10. I made these and they turned out wonderfully! I am from Pittsburgh, where we eat them all the time, but I go to school in North Carolina, where few of my friends have ever even heard of them. I successfully introduced a whole new group of people to the joy of pierogies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good job Molly! Keep spreading the pierogie love :)
      So glad they turned out for you

      Delete
  11. Dumb question I'm sure, but when you say "4 cups mashed potatoes" are saying 4 cups of potatoes that have been smashed. Or do you mean 4 cups of prepared mashed potatoes (as in, made with butter, cream, salt, etc...)? Thanks so much!!!!!

    ReplyDelete