Basic Pierogi Recipes

EASY PIEROGI

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk together egg and sour cream. Whisk in milk and water. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface. (Dough will be loose and sticky.) Using a bench scraper, turn and fold dough to knead, dusting with flour as needed, until elastic and no longer sticky, 8 to 10 minutes. (Dough will come together as you knead it. Be careful not to add too much flour, since it will toughen the dough.) Cover with an inverted bowl; let rest for 1 hour.
• Make the filling: Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil; cook until fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain; pass through a ricer. Stir cream cheese and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean linen towel, and dust generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-inch-thick round (keep other pieces covered).
• Cut out circles very close together, using a 3-inch cutter or glass. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough from drying. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Fill pierogi: Place a 1 1/2-inch oval (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) filling in center of each dough circle.
• Holding 1 circle in your hand, fold dough over filling. Pinch edges, forming a well-sealed crescent.
• Transfer to cornmeal-dusted towel, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough circles and filling.
• Make brown butter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Working in batches, transfer pierogi to boiling water. They will sink to the bottom and then rise. Once they have risen, cook through, about 2 minutes more. Coat a platter with half the brown butter. Transfer pierogi to platter using a slotted spoon. Drizzle tops with remaining butter, and season with salt.

BASIC PIEROGI

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk together egg and sour cream. Whisk in milk and water. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface. (Dough will be loose and sticky.) Using a bench scraper, turn and fold dough to knead, dusting with flour as needed, until elastic and no longer sticky, 8 to 10 minutes. (Dough will come together as you knead it. Be careful not to add too much flour, since it will toughen the dough.) Cover with an inverted bowl; let rest for 1 hour.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean linen towel, and dust generouslywith cornmeal to prevent sticking.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-inch-thick round (keep other pieces covered).
• Cut out circles very close together, using a 3-inch cutter or glass (5 inches for the plum version). Cover with plasticwrap to prevent dough from drying. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Fill pierogi: Place filling in center of each dough circle. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Holding 1 circle in your hand, fold dough over filling. Pinch edges, forming a well-sealed crescent.
• Transfer to cornmeal-dusted towel, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough circles and filling. Working in batches, transfer pierogi to boiling water. They will sink to the bottom and then rise. Once they have risen, cook through, about 2 minutes more (or up to 4 minutes for plum pierogi, depending on ripeness). For savory pierogi, coat a platter with half the butter. Transfer pierogi to platter using a slotted spoon. Drizzle tops with remaining butter, and season with salt. For sweet pierogi, transfer to a platter using a slotted spoon, and dot with sour cream.

PIEROGI DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center.
• In a separate bowl mix together the vegetable oil, warm water, and beaten egg. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cover dough and let rest for 2 hours. Roll out and fill as desired.

QUICK & EASY PIEROGI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Layer the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan with frozen pierogies.
• Then sprinkle the ham over top of the pierogoies.
• Mix together the soup and milk and pour over the ham and pierogies.
• Top with cheese and bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350.

PIEROGI DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together lightly in bowl.
• Knead until smooth.
• Let rest, covered, 30 minutes.
• Using half of the dough at a time, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
• Cut circles with biscuit cutter or floured glass.
• Fill with a golf-ball sized hunk of filling (described separately), pinch to seal.
• Boil 5-8 minutes, until floating.
• Fry in butter until crisp.

HOMEMADE POLISH PIEROGI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, water and salt until blended; gradually stir in flour. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead 10-12 times, forming a firm dough. Cover and let rest 10 minutes., For filling, in a small bowl, whisk egg, salt, sugar and pepper. Stir in cheese., Divide dough into 4 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a floured 4-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 tablespoon filling in center of each circle. Moisten edges with water; fold in half and press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. , In a 6-qt. stockpot, bring water to a boil. Add pierogi in batches; reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until pierogi float to the top and are tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add pierogi in batches; cook until golden brown, 1-3 minutes on each side, adding additional butter as necessary. If desired, serve with sour cream and chives.

HOMEMADE PIEROGI

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour and salt; cover and pulse to blend. Add water, eggs and butter; cover and pulse until dough forms a ball, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed. Let rest, covered, 15 to 30 minutes., Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions in butter until tender; set aside., Drain potatoes. Over very low heat, stir potatoes until steam has evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Press through a potato ricer or strainer into a large bowl. Stir in cream cheese, salt, pepper and onion mixture; set aside., Divide dough into 4 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a floured 3-in. biscuit cutter. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in center of each circle. Moisten edges with water; fold in half and press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil over high heat; add pierogi in batches. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook until pierogi float to the top and are tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. In a large skillet, saute 4 pierogi and onion in butter until pierogi are lightly browned and heated through; sprinkle with parsley. Repeat with remaining pierogi. Freeze option: Place cooled pierogi on waxed paper-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pans; freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight freezer container; freeze up to 3 months. To use, for each serving, in a large skillet, saute 4 pierogi and 1/4 cup chopped onion in 1 tablespoon butter until pierogi are lightly browned and heated through; sprinkle with minced fresh parsley.

PIEROGI

Steps:

• First, make the crispy shallots. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 secs). Toss the shallots in a little flour and deep-fry for 1 min or until light golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper. Can be made up to two days before and kept in an airtight container.
• To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan and gently fry the shallots for 10 mins until starting to turn golden.
• Add the sauerkraut and cabbage, and cook for 5-10 mins until the cabbage has softened. Taste and add a little salt if under-seasoned, or sugar if stringent. Scrape into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
• To make the dough, mix the eggs and oil with 125ml water, then gradually add in the flour, mixing well with your hands. Knead it on a well-floured surface until the dough stops sticking to your hands. You should end up with firm, elastic dough. Wrap it in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or overnight.
• Flour your work surface generously. Roll out the dough to a 40cm circle or until the dough is as thick as £1 coin.
• Using a 9cm cookie cutter, cut out discs in the dough - you should end up with about 25 discs. Do not throw away the off-cuts - we throw them in with the pierogi when boiling to minimise any waste.
• Have a well-floured tray ready. Put 1 tsp of the filling into the centre of each disc. In your hand, fold in half around the filling and seal to create half-moon shapes. Put them on the floured tray, making sure they don't touch each other.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and carefully lower the pierogi in. Boil them for 2 mins or until they float to the top.
• Drain and serve with a knob of butter and some soured cream. Finish by sprinkling the crispy shallots on top to serve.