Grandma’s Pierogies

Introduction

Pierogi’s are delicious half moon shaped dumplings from Poland that can be filled with mashed potatoes, grated cheddar cheese and caramelized onions served with a dollop of crème fraiche and crispy crumbled bacon. Divine!

Steps

Preparation: 

Pierogi filling

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until tender

• Drain the potatoes, transfer them back to the empty pot to dry cook them – 2 minutes or so

• Remove from pot and pass them through a ricer or food mill. Transfer to a mixing bowl and beat in the egg.

• Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pan, add the onions and cook= about 10 minutes or until the onions have a nice and golden color, stirring frequently.

• Remove from heat and combine with the potato mixture, cheese, salt & pepper let cool before filling the pierogies. You can freeze any leftover filling.

Preparation: 

Pierogi dough

• Place the cream cheese, egg and salt in the bowl of a mixer or food processor.

• Attach the paddle and beat at slow speed until the mixture is nice and smooth.

• Add the 2 tablespoons of water and beat again until smooth.

• Add the flour and beat, at slow to medium speed, until the mixture forms a nice dough and comes away from the sides.

• Remove dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured board until shiny and elastic and no longer sticky – about 5 minutes.

• Cover with a damp cloth at let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

• Divide the dough into 4 sections while keeping the other 3 covered to keep them moist.

• Lightly flour a board and roll out the dough to about twice the thickness of ravioli as the dough is much softer.

• Roll dough into a square and cut into rounds, with a large food ring or large cookie cutter.

• Spoon the filling into the center and gently fold the edges onto each other to seal. With a skewer, prick each pierogi in the center to prevent it from opening while cooking.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pierogies, a few at the time.

• They are ready when they rise to the top, just like ravioli – about 3-4 minutes.

• With a slotted spoon, remove from water and set aside.

• Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt butter in a non-stick pan, add the pierogies to the butter and fry until nice and golden with a slightly crispy edge. Do not overcrowd the pan.

• Serve with melted butter, a dollop of crème fraiche and crispy bacon bits.