Method
Potato and Cheese Filling
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Put in a pot, cover with cold water, add and bring to a boil. Cook until completely tender.
a knife slides through the biggest piece with no resistance[object Object]
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Drain, return to the pot and mash thoroughly while still hot until there are no lumps at all.
completely smooth -
Meanwhile, melt in a frying pan over medium heat and fry slowly until soft and golden.
sweet-smelling, golden and soft, not burnt[object Object]
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Crush with a fork and mix it into the potatoes with the onion and its butter, and . Taste and adjust. Leave the filling to cool completely.
cool to the touch all the way throughCovered in the fridge for up to a day.[object Object]
Dough
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Sift and onto the work surface and make a well in the middle.
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Pour in and a little of . Work it into the flour, adding the rest of the water gradually, and knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
smooth and soft, like an earlobeno longer sticks to your hands[object Object]
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Cover with an upturned bowl and let it relax while you finish the filling.
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Shaping, Boiling and Frying
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Cut the dough into a few pieces, keeping the rest covered, and roll one piece out thinly, about 2 mm (0.08 in). Stamp out rounds with a glass.
thin, but not so thin that the filling shows through -
Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of each round, fold the dough over into a half moon and press the edges firmly together. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make 110 pierogi.
the seam is tight with no filling in itFreeze the shaped pierogi on a floured tray.[object Object]
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Bring to a boil with , then lower the heat to a steady simmer. Drop in five to seven pierogi at a time and cook until they float, then lift out with a slotted spoon.
98 °Cthey rise to the surface and look puffed[object Object]
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Melt in a large frying pan and cook until lightly browned.
golden at the edges[object Object]
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Add the boiled pierogi to the pan and fry, turning, until golden in spots. Serve topped with the buttery onion.
blistered and golden on both sides[object Object]
From Nadia Kim
Ruskie are all about the balance between floury potato and sharp, crumbly twaróg, and a big onion fried slowly in butter is what makes the filling taste like home. A dough made with hot water and a little oil stays soft and easy to roll, so the pierogi come out tender rather than chewy. Boil them, then give them a few minutes in butter and onion until they blister gold.
Notes
- Twaróg: use full-fat Polish farmer's cheese, dry and crumbly. Wet cheese makes a loose filling that is hard to seal. Ricotta is not a good stand-in; well drained, pressed cottage cheese is closer.
- Potatoes: choose floury, starchy potatoes and mash them while hot so the filling is smooth. Let it cool completely before filling.
- Sealing: press the edges firmly and make sure no filling is caught in the seam, or the pierogi open in the water. Many cooks crimp the edge with a fork or pinch it into a rope.
- Serving: fried onion and butter is classic; you can also serve them with sour cream, crisp pork cracklings or fried bacon.
Storage
Cooked pierogi keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat them in a covered pan with a little butter and a splash of water, then uncover and fry until crisp.
Make Ahead
Freeze pierogi uncooked, or boiled but not fried, on a floured tray so they do not touch; after about 2 hours move them to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen in boiling water until they float.
When to Start
Plan backwards from a time
Filed under Main · Eastern Europe › Poland · Potatoes · Dumplings · Pasta Making · Pierogi. Tags: #crowd pleaser, #freezer friendly, #vegetarian.
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