I posted this originally a few years ago. I'm now updating the post, cause I can and also because I've got a lot of pierogi in the freezer.
A few years back (20 + years ago) , we were living full-time in an RV, a fifth wheel to be exact. We were staying in a campground and had made quite a few friends there.
One of those friends was of Slavic descent, and one day she offered to show us how to make pierogi, but we needed room to do it in. So I offered her my kitchen to play in.
I don't remember how many of us there were that day, but I think we had 4 or 5 women in there, in rapt attention as Marge made the dough.
I had my Kitchenaid stand mixer out on the counter, and we made use of it.
I'm not too sure how many potatoes we ended up peeling and cooking, but it was a few, and as I seem to recall, one of the group had to run over to her RV and grab some more potatoes for the filling and the dough.
I made some more pierogi the other day, but only made a small batch this time, but a small batch is still a lot.
Especially when you are the only one who eats pierogi. But they do freeze, amazingly well.
I personally love filling them with mashed potatoes, cheese, and onions, but feel free to play with the fillings, adding or deleting any part of them.
Be aware, though, they do tend to shrink a little after being cut. I used a new-to-me cutter, and it worked well. I also used my new pasta machine to roll out the sheets of pierogi dough. I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.
However you do it, having one of these little presses does make it a little easier. I would cut them out a little bit larger than the diameter of the press. They do tend to shrink a little, but they still work.
I also discovered that you can take them straight out of the freezer and stick them into an air fryer. I used my combo air fryer toaster oven for this. They came out beautifully. The edges were lovely and crisp, and tasted so good with some sour cream and butter. I mean, everything is better with butter, I think.
Fill them with whatever you like. I've mostly done the classic Ruskie style, which is potatoes and twarog cheese, though I use Colby Jack. I'm going to experiment a little. I've never had sauerkraut inside, but I may give that a whirl, and Mushrooms sauteed with a little seasoning is also mentioned. You can even fill them with some fruit, if you like. I have lots of shells from my latest foray into Pierogi making, and will utilize them in future endeavors, ok, so they'll be cooking adventures.
Pierogi
Yield: Makes about 4 doz.Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - adapted from several recipes
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 10 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
You can make a quick and hearty meal when you keep a few dozen in the freezer.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 1/2 cups flour mixture of AP flour and Bread Flour (add more if needed) + more flour for rolling out.
- 1 large potato- cooked and riced
- 3/4-1 cup potato water (from the boiled potatoes)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Filling
- 1 Cup Cooked mashed potatoes, with no added butter or milk
- 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 small onion, finely chopped and sauteed in 1 teaspoon butter (optional)
Instructions
Dough
- Cook the potatoes in salted water until done. Drain the potatoes, but keep the potato water. Set aside til cool. Rice up one potato, and place it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and 3/4 cups of the cooled, reserved potato water, salt, and the egg. Mix together for a few minutes. If it looks too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, or if it looks too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough will be sticky. Let mix for a couple of minutes and turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap well to keep from drying out and let rest for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Take a small portion of the dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface. The dough will be sticky to handle. Keep the remaining dough covered. Cut out circles with a floured glass or cookie cutter, whichever size you like. I used a 3-inch wide cutter. Add a teaspoon of the prepared filling to the center of the circle of dough and fold over to make a pocket, squeezing out the excess air, and making sure that the edges are pressed down firmly to seal. Use a fork here if you like, or if you have a dumpling press, use that. I did. It was easier. Do not overfill. You will probably only use a teaspoon of filling per pierogi. I used a melon baller to dip out the correct amount.
- When rolling out the dough, you need to get it thin, about 1/8th thick. If you tear it, just moosh it back up and re-roll the dough.
- When you've used up all the dough or filling, place the filled pierogi in a single layer on a freezer-safe cookie sheet or stiff cutting board and freeze. When frozen, place the pierogi into a plastic bag and put them back into the freezer until ready to use.
- You can cook some up fresh, or wait til later.
- When cooking perogies, fresh or frozen. Add to gently simmering water and cook them just until the pierogi float to the top. Serve with some fresh butter and sour cream.
- You can also brown them in a pan after cooking, and serve with more butter, sauteed onions and of course sour cream or Créme Fräiche.. I like using my own homemade Créme Fräiche. and some homemade butter.
Filling
- Sauté onions, grate cheddar cheese, and add to the cooled, riced mashed potatoes. Mix well and set aside.
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