Monday, November 15, 2010

My pierogi recipe.

There's a big discussion in Ravelry about pierogi. I am Polish. Pierogi are my absolute favorite food, because they are really, really good. I wanted a link to my pierogi recipe available to hand out to people.

So here it is: the Sandomierz/Lalka/Tybyrczyk family Hamtramck-style pierogi, with one minor edit that I PROMISE you will make you see sauerkraut in a whole new light.

Dough:

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 egg yolks (lg eggs - if the eggs are small use 5) 
2 tbsp oil
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp water
Beat all ingredients in a large bowl. Trust in the measurements- it should be heavy and sticky, don't add water and dilute it.
Roll out and cut into 2" circles. This is about the size of a tuna can, which makes the ideal template.
Place about 1+tbsp of filling in each round.  Moisten 1/2 of of the edge with water, fold over and seal.  If you find a hole seal it with flour.  Drop pierogi into boiling water until they rise to the top, Drain, spread out flat on wax paper or cookie sheet and freeze.


To serve, fry in a pan with butter and eat with sour cream. To serve in a style more characteristic of Krakow than Hamtramck, fry in a pan with butter and onions and eat as is. I do both, but I more often reach for sour cream, because this is comfort food.

Fillings:


Cheese:
1 Med Pkg Farmers Cheese
1 tbsp Flour
1 egg beaten
1tsp sugar

Potato
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 lb mild cheddar - shredded
Mix potatoes and cheddar - cool before using

Sauerkraut
1 can Sauerkraut (16 oz)
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
Saute onions in butter add sauerkraut.  Add brown sugar. Heat till browned. Cool before using.

The brown sugar is my "secret" for sauerkraut and tomato sauce. It cuts the acidity without adding too much sweetness.

You can also put your favorite pie filling into pierogi wrappers: when I was a kid we just took cans of  cherry and blueberry pie filling. I'm planning on updating these to a more "homemade" version, and I suppose I can update later. I also want to try making pierogi ruskie, which I had and loved in Krakow: dry cottage cheese, potatoes, and onions.

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