Mushroom Piroshki Variation Food

MUSHROOM PIROSHKI

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry and chill it.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat the butter in a skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted.
• Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they give up their liquid. Cook until most but not all of the liquid evaporates. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
• Add the sour cream, dill, chopped egg and rice. Blend well. There should be about four cups. Remove to a mixing bowl and let cool.
• Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible (less than one-eighthinch thick). Using a 3 1/2-to-5-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. We used a 4-inch cookie cutter to produce 30 rounds. The dough will shrink after cutting. You may roll out the circles or rounds to make them larger or you may stretch them carefully by hand. Beat the egg with the water. Brush the top of each pastry round with the egg mixture.
• Use about two tablespoons of filling for each circle of dough. Shape the filling into an oval and place it on half of the circle of dough. Fold the other half of the circle of dough over to enclose the filling. Press the edges of the dough with the fingers or the tines of a fork to seal. Brush the tops with egg mixture to seal.
• Arrange the filled pieces on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Place in the oven and bake 25 minutes.

LIVER AND MUSHROOM PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, salt, and sugar in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Stir in sour cream with a fork just until a dough forms. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 6- by 4-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a letter, then roll out and fold in same manner 2 more times. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling:
• Cook onion and mushrooms in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned well and mushrooms are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Add livers and cook, stirring frequently, until just browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly, then pulse in food processor just until mixture holds together. Stir in salt and pepper and cool completely, uncovered, about 20 minutes.
• Assemble and bake pirozhki:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly 13-inch round (3/4 inch thick). Cut out rounds with cutter. Put 1 level teaspoon filling in center of 1 round, then fold round over filling to form a half moon, pressing edges with your fingers to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling in same manner, rerolling and cutting scraps once. Arrange 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, then brush tops of dough lightly with egg wash. Bake until pirozhki are golden, about 25 minutes (edges will open slightly during baking). Cool on a rack to warm, about 15 minutes.

WILD MUSHROOM PIROSHKI

Steps:

• In a large pan over medium heat, saute the shallots in the butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to saute until mushrooms give up their liquid, about 4 more minutes. Add the cognac and continue to cook until liquid has been reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll out the puff pastry to 1/8 inch, and cut into 2 1/2-inch squares. Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. With a pastry brush, apply a little ice water to two opposite corners of the square and bring them together. Crimp the edges to seal. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; place piroshki on sheet, with center points tucked under.
• Beat together the egg yolk and cream, and lightly brush the tops of the piroshki with egg wash. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

MUSHROOM PIROSHKI VARIATION RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the crust, cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or 2 knives. Mix in the water until it forms a ball. You may need additional water. Roll the pastry 1/8-inch thick and cut into six 4-inch-diameter circles. Stem and slice the mushrooms. Save the stems for duxelles (see recipe). In a sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add the green onions, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the flour on top and, quickly stirring, add milk to blend. Allow it to cool. Add the sour cream. Set aside. Chop the hard-cooked eggs. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of cooled filling on half of each circle. Sprinkle some chopped hard-cooked egg on top. Moisten the edge of the circle and fold over, pinching the edges together. Transfer the piroshki to a buttered baking sheet. Brush the egg-water mixture on top. Sprinkle on sesame seeds, if you like. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crusts are golden. This recipe yields 6 turnovers.

TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
• While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
• Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose.
• Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.