Grandma Martichis Pierogi Recipes

GRANDMA'S POLISH PEROGIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
• To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon.

PIEROGI WITH POTATO FILLING AND BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Make potato filling: Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil; cook until fork-tender, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain; pass through a ricer. Stir in cream cheese and butter. Season with salt and pepper. For each pierogi, form filling into a 1 1/2-inch oval (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons).
• Make Brown Butter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 1 cup.

NAGIE "LAZY" PIEROGI

Steps:

• Fill large diameter pot with water and heat to slow boil.
• Mix all ingredients together to form a stiff dough.
• Roll out on floured board to 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut into diamond shapes, approx 2 inches.
• Place pieogi in gently boiling water. Stir until they all rise to the top and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well. Brown butter in large frying pan, add pierogies. Toss in browned butter over low heat for about 2 minutes until some of the butter has been absorbed. Put on serving platter and pour over the rest of the browned butter from the pan.

GRANDMA MARTICHIS' PIEROGI

Steps:

• Make the filling several hours or the day before and chill. This makes the filling firm and easier to handle when you go to fill the dough.
• For the filling:.
• Peel, cut, and boil potatoes in a large pot.
• Simmer onions in the butter until soft and cover while simmering, but DO NOT BROWN.
• When potatoes are done, place cheeses and onions over potatoes. Cover and let sit until cheeses are melted.
• Add seasonings and mix with a mixer on high speed. The filling should be thick and pasty, but not lumpy. Chill.
• For the dough:.
• Blend all ingredients except flour with a fork. Add flour and mix well. Dough should be a little sticky.
• Knead dough until springy, about 5-10 minutes. Roll into a thick oblong and cut in half. Shape each half into a flat, thick round and cover with a very damp cloth. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour.
• Put a large pot of water on to boil.
• Roll out one round into a large circle 1/4" thick. Be careful not to let the edges or the middle get too thin and tear. Using a large can (about the size of your hand), cut out as many circles as you can. You should be able to get at least 12 circles.
• Remove leftover dough and use in another recipe, such as Chicken and Dumplings. Just roll out the dough and cut into strips for the Dumplings.
• To fill the circles, hold a circle in the palm of your hand and dab water around the edge of half the circle. This will seal the pierog when you close it. Fill with 1 heaping teaspoon of potato mixture and flatten slightly. Fold the circle over and pinch edges to seal. Flute the edges.
• Place the pierogi in the boiling water and cook until they float to the top, 5-10 minutes.
• If you'd like, you can eat the pierogi as is after they've boiled, but they are also good fried in a skillet with butter and a diced onion after boiling. Just fry long enough to lightly brown each side (but don't tell my grandma!).