Pierogies

Moving out West to Winnipeg, and away from home as a young bride back in the mid 1970's was a real eye opener for me. There were so many new things to see and taste and try. Food that I had never experienced in all my years of growing up, even though . . . we had lived in Manitoba at one point during my childhood. (Gimli, Manitoba for 6 1/2 years) I don't think my parents were really all that adventurous in their eating . . . nor was my mother all that adventurous in her cooking. She was a good cook . . . but she mostly just cooked the same things, over and over again . . . but really well.



One of the first taste sensations I discovered was the humble Pierogi. Pierogi (also spelled perogi, pierogy, perogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, or pyrogy) are lovely little dumplings with an Eastern European origin, which are boiled in lightly salted water and then either deep fried, or pan fried in butter, and more often than not served up with fried onions, more butter and sour cream. Delicious!!



There are also some sweet versions, but the kind I am talking about here today are the savoury ones . . . and you can find them in a variety of fillings . . . cheese and potato, mushroom, sauerkraut, cabbage, meat, etc. All of them very, very good to eat.



I fell in love with these wonderful little dumplings . . . and when we moved out to Calgary I learned how to make them for myself. My life was never the same . . . because after that, it didn't matter where I moved . . . I knew I could always have these fabulous little beauties to eat.



We had a good friend Esther in Calgary. She was of Hungarian descent and that first Christmas we were there, we had invited her and her husband over for Christmas dinner. She brought pierogi's as her dinner contribution and they were gorgeous. I talked her into teaching me how to make them myself. She was a fab teacher and I have now been making my own now for about 35 years! Thanks Esther!!



They're very easy to make and as good as the store bought ones are . . . homemade ones can never be beat! They're the best! I never make or eat these things without thinking of Esther. She is a great gal, and I am happy to say that we are still in touch after all of these years. Lifelong friends are the best kinds I think!



Pierogies
makes a lot (about 4 to 5 dozen)
Printable Recipe

This makes a lot, but no worries as they freeze really well and you can never have too many pierogies in the freezer, doncha know!

For the Dough:
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 large free range egg
1 cup water

For the filling:
4 large potatoes
2 TBS butter, softened
1/2 pound of grated strong cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 beaten egg

First make the dough. Mix the flour and salt together. Beat the eggs and the water together. Pour this over the flour and then with oiled hands knead together until smooth. You may think this is never going to come together and be smooth, but patience really comes in handy here. Just keep re-oiling your hands as necessary and kneading. Your patience will be rewarded with a lovely smooth, elastic dough. Once you achieve this, pop a bowl over it (on the counter) and let the dough rest for 1/2 an hour.

To make the filling peel the potatoes, cover with lightly salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, then drain well and mash. Stir in the butter, cheese and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to melt the cheese. You want a smooth flavourful mixture. Once you have the flavour right, (You must taste to test.) then you can beat in the egg. Set aside.

Pinch off walnut sized pieces of the dough (keeping the dough covered in between pinches). Roll each pinch into a ball and then roll with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a thin round. It should be about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Take a scant TBS of the potato filling and place it kind of off centre of the dough circle, wet the edges of the dough and then pinch shut to seal in the potato completely. Place onto a baking sheet with is lined with oiled parchment paper. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough and filling. You can let these air dry now, or pop the baking sheet (s) into the freezer until they are frozen solid and then transfer them to sealable bags and leave frozen until you need them.

To cook, bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Also place a large knob of butter into a frying pan and warm it gently until it is just foaming. Keep warm without burning. Drop the pierogies into the boiling water a few at a time and cook until they float to the top of the water, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drop them into the foaming butter in the frying pan. Fry them until they are golden on both sides. Repeat this process until you have enough done to feed your family. These are very moreish so you will need a lot!

Keep the fried pierogi's warm in the oven until you are finished frying them. Fried onions and sour cream are musts for serving! (In this house anyways!)

I also like to make a sauerkraut filling from time to time:

3 cups of sauerkraut
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine
4 TBS butter
2 TBS sour cream
fine seasalt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the sauerkraut in warm water until you've really given it a good rinse. Squeeze dry and then chop it very fine. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until it is tender, without colouring, stirring frequently. Add the sauerkraut and give it a good stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the kraut is softened and the flavours have really melded. Stir in the sour cream and set aside to cool before proceeding as above. (I like to cover mine and chill it in the refrigerator until it is really cold.)



You can buy pierogi pressed, that come in really handy and work very well at pressing them closed. I've had one for years and it works a charm!