Russian Pirozhki Food

RUSSIAN PIROSHKI RECIPE FOR SAVOURY MINCED MEAT FILLED HAND PIES

Steps:

• To make the piroshki dough: in a big mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt, then create a well in the centre of the flour into which you need to pour the water and vegetable oil and stir until combined.
• Sprinkle a little flour onto your kitchen workspace before transferring the piroshki dough there, then knead the dough for a few minutes. When the dough is smooth and stretchy, lightly oil a mixing bowl, drop the dough in, cover it with a clean cotton tea towel, and set it aside for around one hour.
• When the piroshki dough has doubled in size, punch it down, then remove the dough and knead it on your lightly-floured work space for a couple of minutes or until the dough is smooth. Return it to the bowl again and set it aside for another 30 minutes to prove.
• While the dough is resting, make the piroshki filling: soak the dried bean thread vermicelli noodles in a bowl of water that completely covers them and set aside.
• Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a big frying pan, skillet or wok over medium-high heat, then add the finely chopped onion, fry until soft, then add the finely chopped garlic cloves, and fry until the onion is near translucent.
• Add the minced pork and minced beef to the fry pan, using a stainless-steel whisk to break up lumps. Add another tablespoon of cooking oil if needed, along with salt, black pepper, paprika, and sugar, and fry until brown.
• Drain the bean thread noodles, add those to the minced mixture and combine well, tasting to ensure it is well-seasoned. If not, add more salt, black pepper, paprika, and/or sugar to suit your taste. Set aside to cool a little, then just before you're ready to make the piroshky, add the finely chopped fresh dill and combine.
• Clean down your kitchen work space, sprinkle lightly with flour, then drop the piroshki dough onto the surface and knead for a minute or so until the dough is smooth.
• Shape the piroshki dough into log of around 30cm in length, cut it into 16 portions, and cover the pieces with your tea towel. Fill a small dish with water.
• As best as you can, roll a piece of dough into a round, about 10-12cm in diameter. This dough is not as easy to shape as pelmeni or varenyki dough so don't be too concerned if it's not perfectly round.
• Scoop out a heaped tablespoon of the minced mixture, place it onto one half of the dough round, and bring the other half over to cover the filling. Dip a finger into the dish of water and run it down the rim of one side of the dough then press the edges together to seal the piroshki. This results in a smooth seam, which is how my baboushka liked her piroshki.
• Repeat until you have filled all of the dough pieces with the savoury mince mixture, keeping the finished piroshki on a flour-dusted tray, covered in a clean tea towel.
• Half-fill a deep small- to medium-sized frying pan with cooking oil and heat to medium-high heat. Using a Chinese spoon or large slotted spoon, transfer one of the piroshki from the tray to the pan, and gently slide it into the hot oil. Transfer another one or two piroshki, and fry them in batches of two or three, ensuring they don't touch.
• Fry the piroshki for a couple of minutes, then turn them over to fry the other side. Turn them again if necessary, until the pastry has puffed up and is a deep brown, then transfer them to a clean tray lined with a kitchen wipes or paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
• Repeat the process until you've made all the piroshki. Serve them warm with a dish of sour cream (smetana) sprinkled with fresh dill. If you're not ready to eat them yet keep the piroshki wrapped inside a tea towel in a basket. They're even more delicious once they've softened.

RUSSIAN PIROSHKI (MEAT HAND PIES)

Steps:

• To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt.
• Add vegetable oil and water and mix until smooth. (If dough is too dry, add more water a little bit at a time until dough smooth and soft. Also, if the dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour.)
• Coat the dough with a little bit of vegetable oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with damp kitchen towel and place it in a warm place to rise, for about 30-60 minutes. (I put it in a microwave with a glass of hot water. Don't turn on the microwave.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat.
• Add the meat, garlic and salt. Cook the meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until cooked through. Transfer into a large bowl and mix it with rice.
• Once the dough is doubled in size, take it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth ball, 1-2 minutes. Lightly flatten the dough ball into a disk, and divide into 12 equal parts as you slice a pizza. Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
• To make the hand pies, take a piece of dough and flatten it with your hands. Put the filling in the center and fold the dough in half. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal, creating a half moon. Then gently flatten it between your palms, making sure the sealed crimps are on flat side. (If it's not clear, check out the photos above.)
• Once all the hand pies are formed, heat 1-inch oil in a large skillet, or dutch oven. (Tip: You don't need a thermometer to fry these savory hand pies. Simply drop the end of a wooden spoon into heated oil, and if it's bubbling up around the wood, that means the oil is ready for frying!)
• To cook the hand pies, drop 4 hand pies in the hot oil and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook until it's nice and golden. Remove into a bowl, lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Continue with the remaining batch.
• Serve piroshki warm or at room temperature.

RUSSIAN PIROSHKI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil; saute cabbage and onion 5 to 7 minutes or until cabbage is wilted. Place cabbage mixture in a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up any clumps as it cooks; drain liquid. Add cabbage mixture back into skillet. Stir in dill, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix well.
• Gently pull apart each biscuit in half, making 16 flat circles. With your fingers, flatten each circle into a 3-inch round diameter. Place 1 tablespoon of meat mixture into center of each piece of dough. Fold dough in half over the meat, forming a half moon shape, and firmly pinch edges to seal.
• In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining 1-1/2 cups oil until hot but not smoking. It should be about 350 degrees F. Place stuffed dough in oil and cook in batches 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined platter. Serve warm.

RUSSIAN PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Make the Dough In a bowl, mix together sugar and yeast, then add 60 ml (1/4 cup) lukewarm milk and whisk until the sugar and yeast are dissolved. Leave, covered, in a warm place for 15 minutes, until frothy and bubbly. In a big bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, the rest of the milk, butter and salt. Whisk in the yeast mixture, once it's frothy. Add flour, one cup at a time and keep whisking. When the dough becomes too thick for the whisk, use your hands. Mix the dough until the ingredients are just combined and form a ball. Tip the dough onto a surface dusted with flour and knead it for just a minute, until it becomes soft and supple. Grease a bowl large enough to hold the proofed dough with oil. Place the dough inside, then turn it over so both sides are covered with oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size. Make the filling Spring onion, ramps and egg filling Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix to get a uniform filling. Or spiced beef and rice filling Place a frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté them for 5 minutes, until they are translucent, but not browned. Add the ground beef, garlic, salt, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and black pepper. Fry, stirring and breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, for 10-12 minutes, or until it's cooked through and there are no streaks of pink. Mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped mint and parsley, and the cooked rice. Take off the heat, taste and adjust salt if needed. Or potato, caramelized onions and Parmesan filling Cut peeled potatoes into 6 pieces each, place in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil over medium high heat, add the salt, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are completely cooked through and a knife can be easily inserted into it. Take the potatoes out and mash them, using a fork or a potato masher. Do not use a blender because it makes the filling too smooth. Yes, too smooth is not always a good thing. Mix in the milk and 1 tablespoon of butter. Place a frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Fry them over medium heat for 20 minutes, mixing every 2 minutes at first and then every 1 minute. The onions will become translucent first and then will start to caramelize slowly. The trick is to give them the time to brown, but not too much so they burn. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the onions a few minutes before taking them off the heat. In a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, the caramelized onions, Parmesan and a grind of black pepper. Taste and adjust salt, if needed. Assemble pirozhki Line a baking tray with baking paper. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and transfer to a surface dusted with flour. Divide the dough into two and leave one half in a bowl, covered with towel to prevent it from drying out. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces. With your hands, pat each piece of dough into an oval, approximately 11x7 cm (4x3 inches). Place 1 heaped tablespoon of the filling in the middle, then bring the long sides of the oval to the center and pinch them together, going from the center towards the ends of the pirozhok. Place it on the baking tray. Repeat to the rest of the dough. Once all the pirozhki are ready, cover them with a towel and leave in a warm place to proof for the second time, for about 30 minutes, until they puff up. Bake pirozhki Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Brush the pirozhki with egg yolk and place them in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve pirozhki hot with a cup of sweetened black tea or a glass of milk. Or fry pirozhki Prepare a plate lined with a paper towel. Pour sunflower oil into a dutch oven (or a heavy-bottom pan) until it's about 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) high. You need enough oil so when you put a pirozhok in, the oil covers half of it. Place the dutch oven over medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, insert the end of a wooden spoon into it. If the oil starts bubbling around the spoon, you are good to go. Carefully place pirozhki, seam down, into the hot oil, leaving some space between them. My dutch oven is 22 cm (8.5 inches) and I fry 4 pirozhki at a time. Let them fry for 2 minutes, until they turn golden brown, then flip them on the other side and fry for 1 more minute (Start checking if they turned golden a bit earlier to avoid burning them). With a slotted spoon take pirozhki out and place them on a plate, lined with paper towel. Remove any extra oil with more paper towels. Repeat to the rest of pirozhki. Serve pirozhki hot with a cup of sweetened black tea or a glass of milk.

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.

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.

RUSSIAN CHEESE PIROSHKI

Steps:

• Completely dissolve sour cream with a little bit of milk. You may use a whisk.
• Pour the gallon of milk and the dissolved sour cream into an oven safe pot.
• Cover lightly with plastic wrap and set the pot in a safe place where its not too cool.
• Very Important: Mark this day as day 1. You will cook the milk on day 3.
• On day 3: Heat oven to 325°F Remove plastic wrap.
• Bake in the same pot for 3 hours.
• Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes.
• Drain completely in cheese clothe. Squeeze water out if you have to.
• At this point you may refrigerate this cheese in a sealed container for latter use.
• Preheat oven for 200F for 5-10 minutes and than turn off.
• Meanwhile place frozen rolls on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
• Place in the warm oven. (If the oven is too hot, leave the door open for no more than 5 minutes).
• This is the quick defrosting process. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours.
• Microwave cream cheese for 45 seconds to soften.
• With a large spoon, mix together your prepared cheese, condensed milk, whipped cream, cream cheese, and vanilla.
• Take your biscuits out of the oven.
• Note: Do not uncover all of them at once or they will dry out!
• Very lightly flour your palms and fingers. Flatten a roll in your palms.
• Fill with a heaping Tbsp of filling and press shut around the edges using your fingers.
• Heat oil in a deep skillet on medium heat. The oil should rise about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
• Fry several of the piroshki on both sides.
• Cover between flippings.
• They cook about 2 minutes or less, but be careful not to burn them.
• You will need to watch the skillet the entire time now and may not leave.
• Place Piroshki in a strainer or on napkins to collect excess oil.
• They keep well in fridge for several days, But I assure you they will get eaten before then.

TAYLOR'S PIROSHKI

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly browned; drain. Stir in the onion and cook with the beef until translucent. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and dill weed to taste. Allow to cool before using.
• Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water and place in a warm location until frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and gently whisk in the eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
• Place half the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Then add the yeast solution alternately with the remaining flour, stirring after each addition. Mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl. (Note: Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough). Cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Set in a warm location and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
• Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off pieces approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the pieces into disks about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
• Fill center of each disk with a heaping tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture. Fold disks over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Arrange on a flat surface and allow to sit approximately 10 minutes.
• In an large, heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry the piroshki in batches until golden brown on one side; gently turn and fry the other side. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.