Anitas Polish Pierogies Food

ANITA'S POLISH PIEROGIES

Steps:

• METHOD:.
• Put flour, butter and salt into into the food processor, put lid on and turn on the machine. Pour the water through the feeder spout in a stream. Let blades rotate until the mixture turns into a ball of dough. Let this sit out for a while as it makes the dough easier to work with.
• FILLING METHOD:.
• Cook the potatoes, mash, add the cheese and mix well until cheese has melted into the potatoes. Let them cool a little before filling the pierogies as this will make them easier to handle.
• Next roll out your peirogie dough with a rolling pin. Use a glass or round cookie cutter to make your circles. It might be a good idea to dip whatever you use into flour to prevent it from sticking.
• Place filling on the circle, don't over fill and seal the edges well. If this leaks you lose your filling in the water.
• Place the made peirogies on a floured surface and don't let the peirogies touch, they will stick together.
• Drop the peirogies into the pot of boiling water and cook for 5-8 minutes or until they rise to the surface of the water. This means they are cooked. Boil about 6-10 at a time as this won't cool your boiling water down too much.
• Melt some butter and put in the bottom of an oven safe dish. I use a 9x13 ceramic dish. I layer the pierogies with fried onions and turkey bacon. You can use regular bacon.
• **THE ONION AND BACON CAN BE FRIED UP AHEAD OF TIME. I USE A WHOLE ONION AND 8 PIECES OF BACON CUT UP SMALL.
• Bon Appetit.

PIEROGIES

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Put flour in a large shallow bowl and make a well in center. Add water, egg, oil, and salt to well and carefully beat together with a fork without incorporating flour. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating flour, until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (dough will be very soft). Invert a bowl over dough and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Make filling while dough stands:
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain potatoes, then transfer to a bowl along with cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mash with a potato masher or a handheld electric mixer at low speed until smooth.
• When mashed potatoes are cool enough to handle, spoon out a rounded teaspoon and lightly roll into a ball between palms of your hands. Transfer ball to a plate and keep covered with plastic wrap while making 47 more balls in same manner (there will be a little filling left over).
• Make onion topping:
• Cook onion in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently toward end of cooking), until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Form and cook pierogies:
• Halve dough and roll out 1 half (keep remaining half under inverted bowl) on lightly floured surface (do not overflour surface or dough will slide instead of stretching) with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 15-inch round (1/8 inch thick), then cut out 24 rounds with lightly floured cutter. Holding 1 round in palm of your hand, put 1 potato ball in center of round and close your hand to fold round in half, enclosing filling. Pinch edges together to seal completely. (If edges don't adhere, brush them lightly with water, then seal; do not leave any gaps or pierogi may open during cooking.) Transfer pierogi to a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and cover with another towel. Form more pierogies in same manner.
• Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add half of pierogies, stirring once or twice to keep them from sticking together, and cook 5 minutes from time pierogies float to surface. Transfer as cooked with a slotted spoon to onion topping and toss gently to coat. Cook remaining pierogies in same manner, transferring to onions. Reheat pierogies in onion topping over low heat, gently tossing to coat.

FAMOUS POLISH PIEROGIES

Steps:

• 1. Whisk egg and sour cream together. Then whisk in milk and water. With a wooden spoon stir in flour 1 cup at a time until a loose sticky dough forms.
• 2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and turn and fold dough to knead, dusting with flour as needed until elastic and no longer sticky about 8-10 minutes. (Be careful not to add too much flour, which will toughen the dough).
• 3. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest for 1 hour.
• 4. Spray a baking sheet with oil to put your pierogies on so they wont stick or spray wax paper lightly with oil. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Wrap the 3 pieces in plastic wrap and roll out the 4th on a lightly floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter or a glass about the same size to cut out your circles of dough. Try your best to cut as close to one another as possible. Set aside scraps to be reworked.
• 5. Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture of your choice into the center of each circle. Fold in half and pinch closed. If you have trouble with it closing just use a dab of water to it for closure. Place on your baking sheet or lightly greased wax paper.
• 6. Boil some water in a large pot with some salt. Drop 10 - 12 pierogies at a time into the water. They will cook for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Remove them when finished.
• 7. Have a pan ready with your onion & garlic sauce.....cook up those onions & garlic low and slow....stirring occasionally. You want your onions & garlic nice and tender. Add some of your pierogies and cook on both sides till they are lightly browned.
• 8. Don't laugh to hard....these are my first attempt at making pierogies. They look kinda sad but they tasted fantastic. lol Of course, Dad made his perfectly shaped and so beautiful.
• 9. Here is a pic of Dad & I getting ready to stuff our pierogies. This was a class we took as Dad wanted a refresher since his Bubba and Mum have passed. He had forgotten some details. I'll post a few pics of Dad & I last year making pierogies at my house.
• 10. Last year Dad & I making pierogies at my house. I think we ended up with 10 dozen or more. Worked all day on them....took a lot longer than we thought it would. Hopefully we will get faster this year. Dad rolling out the dough and cutting.
• 11. Here is what I was working on...all the fillings and then I stuffed them all.
• 12. Our finished pierogies on the counter which we froze most all of them.
• 13. Here were some that I cooked up to sample that night.

POLISH PEROGIES W/ WONTON SKINS

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet over heat, cook bacon 4 minutes. Remove from skillet, drain, and crumble. Add 1/2 cups of sliced onions to bacon dripping in skillet. Cook 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove and save. In a bowl, combine, combine the 2 potatoes that have been boiled, peeled and mashed, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and the crumpled bacon. Brush water over the edges of 25 wonton skins. Divide potato mixture evenly among center of the wrappers. Fold each wrapper over filling to form a triangle, press to seal. Working in batches, cook perogies in boiling water 4 minutes..or until they float. Remove and top with the cooked onions. Cut up fresh green onions cut up and tossed over the perogies is a nice touch.
• 2. Some people like to fry them gently in butter....when they are done.

POLISH PIEROGI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Might seem like there is too much flour but make the effort to lightly knead dough with hands to combine. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash, then add shredded cheese while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• Separate the pierogi dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until about 1cm thick, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, pierogi cutter, or a glass 4-5cm in diameter. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the centre. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges to create half moon shape. press edges with fork. Place pierogi on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
• To cook pierogi: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop pierogi in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon. the dough is meant to have a doughy texture.
• After boiling you can fry pierogi for extra crisp, I like to do this in the pan used to make caremalised onions. put pan on medium to high heat, add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and fry pierogi until a little golden on either side.
• Caremalised onions: roughly dice onions then place on pan on low heat. Wait until onions have become translucent and a slightly golden. Add sugar and wine/balsamic vinegar and continue to cook on medium heat untill onions are dark golden brown/