Babas Best Perohe Varenyky Pyrogy Dough Food

UKRAINIAN OLHA'S VARENYKY (PEROGIES)

Steps:

• To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the soft butter and evaporated milk; stir gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Add water only as needed, kneading continuously until dough sticks together. Place dough into a greased bowl, turn to coat, and let rest for 30 minutes.
• To make the potato filling, place potatoes into a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Saute onions in butter until tender. Mix the onions into the potatoes along with the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To make the sauerkraut and cabbage filling, pour the drained sauerkraut into a large saucepan. In a medium skillet, saute 2 onions in 1/2 cup butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the onions into the sauerkraut along with the cabbage and chicken bouillon cube. Cook over low heat until liquid evaporates. Season with pepper and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool, then run through a grinder or food processor.
• Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles. Place one tablespoon of filling onto one side of the circle. Fold the other half over and press the edges to seal. Place finished dumplings onto a floured tray and keep covered.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop 10 or so dumplings into the water at a time. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove to a colander to drain. Place finished dumplings onto a lightly oiled dish and turn them to coat with a thin layer. This will keep them from sticking together. Serve dumplings with fried onions and sour cream. Cooled dumplings also can be fried in oil and butter for a nice crispy surface.

BASIC RUSSIAN VARENIKI OR PELMENI DOUGH (RUSSIAN PIEROGI)

Steps:

• Whisk together egg and sour cream until well combined.
• Whisk in 1 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water.
• Using a spatula, mix in four, 1 cup at a time.
• Place the dough onto a floured surface. Using a food scarper, knead the dough by turning and folding it with the food scraper. Dust the dough with flour as you need it until it is soft and doesn't stick to your hands (you'll need around 1 cup more flour). Knead for 6 to 8 minutes. Don't add too much flour or the dough will become hard to work with.
• Place the dough under a bowl and let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest covered with plastic wrap.
• Form your chunk of dough into a log and cut off small pieces, one at a time. Pieces should be a little larger than a gumball. Dust your rolling pin and cutting board with flour and roll out a piece of dough until it is 1/8" thick and 3" diameter.
• Fill these circles with the desired filling (potatoes, cherries, blueberries or meat). Fold the dough over the filling to form a crescent and seal the edges tightly with your fingers. If making pelmeni (meat filling), pinch the two edges together to form a "diaper" shape. Place the finished pierogis on a cutting board dusted with flour until ready to boil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. As you finish the first batch of pierogies, place them in boiling water. After they float to the top, cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Drizzle the pierogies with melted butter.
• Repeat steps 7 through 9 with the rest of the dough.

VARENIKI- UKRANIAN PIEROGIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend the flour and the salt. With the motor running, add the egg and the oil, and then pour the water in a slow, steady stream until the dough forms a ball around the blade. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out one of the balls very thinly, to about 1/16th of an inch, making sure that it doesn't tear. With a cookie cutter, or a cup, cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter. Place a heaping teaspoon of the desired filling in the middle of a circle. Fold the dough over to form a semi-circle. Brush the edges with the egg and press firmly with the tines of the fork to seal. Place the vareniki as they are made on a large, lightly floured, platter, and cover with a damp cloth, while making the next batch. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and carefully lower half of the vareniki into the water. Boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until they rise to the surface, about 6 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the vareniki into a colander and drain thoroughly. Transfer into a deep serving bowl and toss with half of the butter.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onion until deeply colored, about 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Add the Sauteed onion along with the cooking fat and mix well. Fill the vareniki and cook as directed.
• In a large skillet, saute the bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat. Remove the bacon and drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until nicely browned. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the sauerkraut and saute, stirring until limp and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the sugar and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before filling. Use the reserved bacon for topping.;
• Combine all the filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fill and cook as directed. This filling can be either sweet or savory, so add salt or sugar, accordingly. Serve with sour cream and confectioners' sugar, if sweet.

PIEROGI AND VARENIKI DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir together flours in a bowl. Make a well in flour and add eggs, salt, and water, then stir together with a fork without touching flour. Continue stirring, gradually incorporating flour into well until a soft dough forms.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be soft.)
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

UKRAINIAN ZENIA'S POTATO VARENYKY (PEROGIES, PYROHY)

Steps:

• PREPARE THE FILLING FIRST: Saute the onion in the butter until softened, about 6 minutes.
• Combine with the potatoes and cheese and mix well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Let cool thoroughly before using.
• (The filling can be made a day ahead and kept covered and refrigerated.
• Bring to room temperature before using.).
• TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the egg yolks, mashed potatoes, melted butter and just enough of the water to form a medium-soft dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. (Too much kneading will make the dough tough.).
• Divide the dough in half and cover with an inverted bowl.
• Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Roll out the dough until it is quite thin and cut rounds about 2 to 3 inches wide with a large biscuit cutter.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a little salt.
• To each round of dough, add a spoonful of filling ad fold over to form a half circle.
• Press the edges together with well floured fingers, making sure the varenyky are well sealed.
• Transfer them to a lightly floured surface and cover them with a clean tea towel so that they do not dry out.
• Drop a few at a time into the boiling water, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, at which point they should be puffed and bobbing on the surface.
• (The thinner the dough and the smaller the pyrohy, the quicker they will cook.).
• Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, drain thoroughly and place in a warmed bowl.
• Drizzle with melted butter and toss gently to keep them from sticking together.
• Cover and keep warm while you cook the remaining varenyky.
• Serve with fried onions and sour cream. Serve hot. Makes 4 serving.
• Great Potatoes.

UKRAINIAN BLUEBERRY VARENYKY W. BLUEBERRY SAUCE (PEROGY/PIEROGI)

Steps:

• FOR THE SAUCE: In saucepan, stir together blueberries, sugar and flour; add lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Simmer over low heat until blueberries are soft and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• FOR THE DOUGH: In large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. In separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk and butter; stir into flour mixture. Add cold water, 1 tablespoons at a time (6 to 7 tablespoons total), until soft dough is formed. Knead until dough is smooth. Cover with plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll dough to scant 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 3 inch rounds.
• FILLING: Whisk together sugar and flour; set aside. Stretch out cut out dough rounds slightly and fill each round with scant 1 teaspoons flour/ sugar mixture and 1 tablespoons blueberries. Pull dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal.
• Continue until dough and filling are used up, letting reworked scraps rest slightly before rolling (keep unrolled dough and filled dumplings covered with a clean tea towel).
• In large pot of lightly salted boiled water, boil dumpling, in batches if necessary, until dough is tender at thickest edges, about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to serving plate; drizzle with butter to prevent sticking. Serve with blueberry sauce and sour cream on the side. Makes 32 to 36 dumplings.
• FOOD TIP: any leftover dough can be rolled into noodles, boiled and served with butter or sour cream.