Perogies With Various Traditional Fillings Food

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.

POLISH MEAT PIEROGI WITH BEEF & POULTRY

Steps:

• If you cooked rosół soup earlier, use the leftover meat - it's perfect for a pierogi filling. A leftover steak or roast meat will work great too.
• Grind the meat in a meat grinder, or use a food processor/blender instead.
• Peel and chop the onion finely. Add some oil to the frying pan, wait for it to warm up. Add the chopped onion and fry until golden.
• Add fried onion to the meat mass. Season well with salt and pepper. Have a try - does it need more spice? If so, add some garlic powder or smoked paprika powder. Blend well with a spoon or a spatula.
• If the filling appears too dry, add a few spoons of water or broth - meat should be sticky.
• Follow the steps below or pick an alternative pierogi dough recipe here.
• Prepare a clean work surface. Sift the flour, make a small well. Pour in a few spoonfuls of hot water.
• Knead flour and water together. Gradually add more water, until the dough to becomes elastic and soft.
• Divide the dough into four parts. Spread one part on the work surface, roll into a thin layer of dough. Use a glass to cut out circles.
• Place a spoonful of meat filling in the middle. Fold dough over filling. Press edges together.
• Continue forming until all pierogi are assembled.
• Bring a pot water to a boil, salt it. Reduce the heat.
• Drop a couple of pierogi in. Cook until they float to the top (5-6 minutes).
• In the meantime, chop kiełbasa sausage and 1/2 onion into cubes. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on a frying pan, drop in kiełbasa and onions, let them fry until golden.
• Collect the dumplings with a slotted spoon.
• Serve pierogi, topping them with melted butter and fried onion/kiełbasa pieces. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

PEROGIES WITH VARIOUS TRADITIONAL FILLINGS

Steps:

• note***The dough recipe is for around 50 perogies.
• At least 1 batch for each filling.
• I make a day of this and triple each recipe.
• Believe me, they don't last long!
• For the dough: Mix egg, oil and water.
• Add to flour and salt and knead to elastic.
• Flour your counter top and rolling pin.
• Roll the dough to around 1/4 inch thick and cut into small circles.
• Stretch with fingers and add 1 t. filling, fold over and flute.
• Boil until perogies float.
• Cool before freezing.
• Cottage cheese and Dill filling: In a large bowl mix all ingredients together well and fill perogies.
• Sauerkraut and Bacon: In a large bowl mix together all ingredients well. Bacon fat will cling to the kraut. Fill perogie dough.
• Potato and Cheese: In a large bowl mix well the potato, cheese, salt and mix well. Fill Perogie dough.
• You will need about 1 and 1/2 recipes for the dough for each batch of filling, depending on how thick or thin you roll your dough.

BASIC POLISH PIEROGI

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer until potatoes are very tender.
• Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
• In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
• Add onions to drained potatoes and mash using a potato masher or electric hand mixer.
• (Add reserved potato cooking water as needed to reach a smooth mashed potato consistency.)
• Add cheese, garlic, and salt. Mix well.
• Set filling aside to cool.
• Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer until potatoes are very tender.
• Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
• In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
• Add onions and seasonings to drained potatoes and mash using a potato masher or electric hand mixer. (Add reserved potato cooking water as needed to reach a smooth mashed potato consistency.)
• Mix well and set aside to cool.
• In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
• In a medium bowl, mix together sauerkraut, onions, and sour cream until combined.
• Set filling aside to cool.
• Mix the egg with the flour and dash of salt.
• Add water slowly, using only as much as needed to create a smooth and soft dough.
• Roll out to 1/8" thickness.
• (At this point, if you have your fillings ready to go, it's a good idea to get a pot of water boiling with 2 quarts of water. Once the water begins to boil, add 1 tsp salt, and turn it to a steady simmer. This way, you can start cooking the pierogi as you fill them.)
• Using a 3 ½ " cookie cutter (or the mouth of a juice glass if you don't have cookie cutters, like us) cut circles out of the dough. Re-roll dough as needed until all has been used.
• Place about a tablespoon of filling slightly off-center of the round. Moisten the edge of your dough with a little water, and fold the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges to seal well.
• Place pierogi into boiling water, and boil until the dough is tender 7-10 minutes.
• Remove from boiling water with a large slotted spoon and place in a serving dish.
• If you like, heat a little butter in a frying pan and transfer cooked pierogi directly from the water to the frying pan and saute until slightly golden. Add additional butter as needed.