Nanas Pierogi 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.

GRANDMA'S POLISH PEROGIES

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. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 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 with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
• To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies 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.

NANA'S PIEROGIES

Steps:

• 1. Mix the flour and salt in a deep mixing bowl.
• 2. Add egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
• 3. Knead dough on a floured surface until the dough is smooth. Do NOT over knead dough or it will become tough!
• 4. Divide your dough into two parts and cover them. Allow to set covered for at least 15 minutes.
• 5. Prepare Filling: Boil potatoes until they are soft. Drain and return to pot.
• 6. Melt butter and oil on medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Just till onions are softened. Lower your heat and cook until onions are lightly browned or carmelized. Season with salt and pepper. ( You can add more butter while cooking to avoid the onions burning)
• 7. Add onions once they are cooled to potatos. Then add cheese. Mash until all large potato lumps are gone and cheese and onions are blended into potatoes. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Set aside.
• 8. Prepare pierogies: Roll the dough out thin on a floured surface. Cut circles using a large biscuit cutter, or the mouth of a large glass. Place a spoonful of potatoe and cheese filling in each circle and fold over to make a half circle. Make sure no filling is near the edges. Press the edges together with your fingers to seal each pierogi. Making sure they are sealed well so filling doesnt come out while cooking. Put filled pierogi on a floured surface and cover with a tea towel to keep them from drying up. ( you can seal them with a little water & press down on edges with a fork to help keep them from coming apart while cooking)
• 9. Cooking Pierogies: COOKING: Drop a few pierogies (about 6)into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. (I add oil to the water to help prevent them from sticking together) Do not cook too many at a time or they will not cook correctly. Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate pierogies and to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot or each other. Boil for 3-4 minutes or until they are puffed up. Remove pierogies from water with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer to a colander to drain completely. Transfer to a deep dish, and generously add melted butter to prevent them from sticking.
• 10. Serve with melted butter and fried onions To reheat: Pan fry in butter until browned and serve with onions or scallions, or deep fry and brush with butter before serving (I love them this way) Freezing:If you choose not to cook all the pierogies at this time, you can refrigerate uncooked pierogies for several days or freeze them for several months.

PIEROGI

Steps:

• Make a well from the flour. Add eggs and about 1/2 cup of water. The amount of water will vary according to the weather. You want to make a stiff dough. Divide it into 3 equal portions and knead until silky smooth.
• Fillings: We usually make cheese and kapusta (sauerkraut), but you can use meat, potatoes, or even fruit.
• Saute onion in butter until just soft. Add kapusta and brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow time for the filling to cool before assembling pierogi, otherwise they will fall apart when cooked. If making more than one filling, this one can cool while you prepare the others.
• Mix well.
• To assemble and cook pierogi: Roll out a portion (or half portion, if space is limited) of the dough on a floured surface as thinly as possible -- somewhere between a wonton and a thin pizza. Put about a tablespoon of filling on the dough and use a large plastic cup (a big gulp-type cup works really well) to cut a circle around the filling. Dampen half of the circumference of the circle with a bit of water on your finger and fold into a dumpling. Boil the dumplings a dozen at a time in a big pot of salted water until they float -- no more than 3 minutes. At this point you can freeze them in bags for later use. To prepare for serving, brown the pierogi in a skillet using a bit of butter. If you want to be really traditional you can use bacon grease. Alternately, you can bake them in a casserole, spraying both the casserole and the pierogi with a butter flavored spray, and putting a few pats of butter on top of the dumplings.

PIEROGI DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center.
• In a separate bowl mix together the vegetable oil, warm water, and beaten egg. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cover dough and let rest for 2 hours. Roll out and fill as desired.