Nanas Pierogi Filling Food

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 (TRADITIONAL POLISH DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Pass farmer's cheese and cooked potatoes separately through a food grinder or food processor.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook mushrooms and onions until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine farmer's cheese, potatoes, mushroom mixture, sour cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix together and set filling aside.
• Place flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Crack both eggs into the well. Add butter and a few tablespoons of the warm water. Mix with your hands, gradually adding more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as you go. Knead well, continuing to add more water as needed. Knead until dough is soft and smooth, adding more flour to the work surface as needed.
• Cut off 1/4 of the dough and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out circles using a glass or a round pastry cutter, saving the excess dough for your next batch.
• Fill each dough circle with 1 teaspoon of filling. Fold dough over into a half-moon shape and pinch edges together to seal. Cover with a clean dish towel so pierogi won't dry out and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the pierogi in batches, about 20 at a time, and cook until they float to the surface, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a strainer. Repeat with the remaining pierogi.