Pierogies Recipe
Here is my family recipe. I figured I'd share. I'll probably end up posting my carrot-ginger soup recipe and my whole wheat shortbread recipe at some point if people are interested. One of the profs in my department told me if my PhD didn't work out I could go into business making my cookies.
Please read my notes at the bottom for additional instructions, since they are a bit fiddly to make. Note that Varenyky is the Ukranian term for Pierogies.
Varenyky (Pyrogi, Dumplings)Dough
Mix 2 cups flour with 1 tsp. salt. Add 1 egg and 2/3 cup cool
water. Knead lightly. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside.
Fillings
Pick a filling to put inside the varenyky. Here are a few common examples.
Potatoe Filling
Mash 4lb. cooked potatoes. Add 1 lg. chopped onion sauteed in
1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
Sauerkraut Filling
Rinse 1 1/2 lbs. sauerkraut with hot water to remove salt. Rinse
cold. Squeeze dry. Chop fine. Saute 1 lg. onion in 1/3 cup of oil
Add sauerkraut. Saute covered 10 min. Season. Cool.
Cheese Filling
Combine 2 cups farmer cheese, 4 oz. cream cheese, 1 egg, salt. Add
a little sour cream if mixture is too dry.
Fruit Filling
Fresh berries, pitted cherries, plums, or stewed prunes can be used.
Sprinkle lightly with flour to thicken juice.
To form Varenyky
Drop into a large pot of boiling water (unsalted) a few at a time. Boil rapidly about 4 minutes. Lift out into colander and rinse with hot water. Drain. Saute in butter until golden and crisp. Serve with sour cream.
TJL's notes
Another cheese filling my family has also done is just to place a small piece of cheese inside the dumpling. If you do not cook them all at once, you need to freeze them as they will stick together. The knead lightly instruction is important as if you knead the dough too much they will become tough and rubbery when cooked. As you can see from above, you can put pretty much any filling inside.
Please read my notes at the bottom for additional instructions, since they are a bit fiddly to make. Note that Varenyky is the Ukranian term for Pierogies.
Varenyky (Pyrogi, Dumplings)Dough
Mix 2 cups flour with 1 tsp. salt. Add 1 egg and 2/3 cup cool
water. Knead lightly. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside.
Fillings
Pick a filling to put inside the varenyky. Here are a few common examples.
Potatoe Filling
Mash 4lb. cooked potatoes. Add 1 lg. chopped onion sauteed in
1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
Sauerkraut Filling
Rinse 1 1/2 lbs. sauerkraut with hot water to remove salt. Rinse
cold. Squeeze dry. Chop fine. Saute 1 lg. onion in 1/3 cup of oil
Add sauerkraut. Saute covered 10 min. Season. Cool.
Cheese Filling
Combine 2 cups farmer cheese, 4 oz. cream cheese, 1 egg, salt. Add
a little sour cream if mixture is too dry.
Fruit Filling
Fresh berries, pitted cherries, plums, or stewed prunes can be used.
Sprinkle lightly with flour to thicken juice.
To form Varenyky
- Roll dough thin. Cut rounds with inverted water glass.
- Hold round in palm, place spoonfull of filling in centre. Fold in half.
- Press edges to seal.
- Lay on dry kitchen towel and cover.
Drop into a large pot of boiling water (unsalted) a few at a time. Boil rapidly about 4 minutes. Lift out into colander and rinse with hot water. Drain. Saute in butter until golden and crisp. Serve with sour cream.
TJL's notes
Another cheese filling my family has also done is just to place a small piece of cheese inside the dumpling. If you do not cook them all at once, you need to freeze them as they will stick together. The knead lightly instruction is important as if you knead the dough too much they will become tough and rubbery when cooked. As you can see from above, you can put pretty much any filling inside.