HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT PIEROGI

I got this document from another gentleman who was kind enough to share this on a recipe group.. Great information to help you make your perfect Pierogi

PIEROGI

From Favorite Recipes

Felician Sisters

Our Lady of Angels Convent

Enfield, Connecticut

TIPS ON MAKING AND COOKING PIEROGI

Dough for pierogi should always be soft and well kneaded.  Knead dough until smooth and blend well.  Hard dough makes tough pierogi.  Softer dough makes tender pierogi.  Never double recipe for pierogi dough.  If you make a larger amount make separate batches.  Always rest dough at least 15 minutes.  Pierogi dough has a tendency to dry while working.  Dry dough will not seal well.  Always keep your dough covered in a bowl while working with part of it.  Place a small spoonful of filling little to one side on each round of dough.  Press edges firmly together.  Turn the pierogi over and seal again.  Be sure they are well sealed.  Drop pierogi into salted boiling water.  Use a large cooking pan.  Mix lightly with wooden spoon until they come up.  Cook gently from 10–15 minutes.  Lift out of water carefully with a perforated spoon.  Put under cold water.  Drain well in colander.  Serve with melted butter.  Good also with brown butter.  It gives a different flavor.  Never crowd or pile pierogi.  The uncooked will stick and cooked will loose  shape and lightness.

FRIED PIEROGI

Melt butter in frying pan.  Put cooked pierogi in hot butter.  Do not crowd.  Brown dough on each side.

FREEZING PIEROGI

There is a different way of freezing pierogi.  Cook pierogi only 5 minutes for freezing.  When cold and dry, put the amount you want in baggies or wax paper and tinfoil.  Freeze.  To use, cook in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain and serve with butter or put in tinfoil or baking dish cover with melted butter and warm in slow oven of 200 degrees.

Cabbage pierogi do not have to be cooked.  After they are made line them up on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Make sure they are one by one.  Put in freezer.  When frozen, put in baggies the amount wanted.  Cook as fresh pierogies.

PIEROGIES

2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon salt

1 egg 2 tablespoons melted butte

½ cup lukewarm water

Mix all ingredients together lightly and knead in bowl.  Rest it for ½ hour, covered.  Then knead the dough on a floured board and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut out circles with a cup, glass or doughnut cutter (remove center cutter from the doughnut cutter).  Fill with favorite filling pressing edges well together line for turnovers.  Bring water to a boil and add salt like for cooking noodles.  Drop the pierogi gently into the boiling water.  When pierogi come to the top cut down heat to a slow boil.  (Full rollicking boil will make pierogi fall apart.)  Boil for about 10 minutes and take out with slotted spoon into colander placed in a small pan or pot.  Rinse very lightly, with cold water, drain and place on serving plate.  Pour slightly browned butter over pierogi.

PIEROGI DOUGH

½ cup sour cream 1 teaspoon salt

1 egg 1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup melted butter 2 ¼ cups flour

Sift flour, salt, baking powder together.  Add sour cream and melted butter.  Work the dough well.  Put the dough on board and roll out thin.  Make as you do other pierogi dough using your favorite cheese filling.

PIEROGI FILLINGS

1 head cabbage

1 can sauerkraut

Rinse sauerkraut and parboil.  Drain.  Add shredded cabbage and boil until tender about 15–20 minutes.  Drain and cool.  Sauté some large onion, chopped in 1 stick butter until brown in large skillet.  Put cabbage sauerkraut through grinder.  Drain well from most of the water.  Add to the sautéed onion and sauté in low heat until flavors blend, 15–20 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  This can also be done the same way with just sauerkraut.  Also just cabbage alone.  Make a day before using.

[Paul’s added note: You do this, and you will be making pierogies all weekend.  ]

PIEROGI DOUGH

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ cup water, lukewarm

½ cup milk, lukewarm

1 teaspoon melted butter (optional)

2 cups or more all-purpose flour

Put eggs, milk, water in bowl and beat till blended.  Add flour, cup at a time to make a soft dough.  Put on pastry board, knead until smooth, cover with bowl and let rest for 10‑15 minutes.  Divide the dough and roll out thin and fill the pierogi.

PIEROGI DOUGH

1 egg

¼ cup water

¼ cup milk

1 ¾ to 2 cups all-purpose flour

Beat egg, milk and water together in bowl and add flour slowly to make a soft dough.  Put on pastry board, knead until smooth, and sprinkle flour on board, put dough and cover with bowl for at least 15 minutes.  Divide the dough and roll out thin.  Fill with the filling of your choice.

PIEROGI DOUGH

2 eggs

½ cup water

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

Mound flour on board and make hole in center (bowl is better).  Drop egg in whole and cut into flour with knife.  Add salt and water and knead until firm.  Let rest 10 minutes covered with a warm bowl.  Divide dough in halves and roll thin.  Cut circles with a biscuit cutter.  Place a small spoonful of filling a little to one side on each round of dough.  Moisten edges with water, fold over and press edges together firmly.  Make sure they are well sealed together.

[Paul’s note: My grandmother did the “drop eggs into a ring of flour” method when I was a kid and she lived with us.]

CABBAGE MEAT FILLING

Use the cabbage or sauerkraut filling recipe adding 1 cup of ground baked or cooked beef, pork or veal.  Mix together well and fry on low heat for 15 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

FILLING FOR PIEROGI

1 small head cabbage 1 small onion chopped fine

2 cups mushroom cooked butter

2 tablespoons sour cream salt and pepper

Quarter cabbage and cook in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain, cool and chop fine.  Sauté onions in butter, and chopped mushrooms and fry 5 minutes.  Add chopped cabbage and continue to fry until the flavors blend.  Add sour cream and cool.  (2 cups sauerkraut may be substituted for the cabbage).  Rinse and chop sauerkraut.  Proceed as above.

POTATO & CREAM CHEESE FILLING

3 cooked potatoes

1 (3 oz.) cream cheese

Chop small onion and sauté in ¼ cup butter until lightly brown.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Put potatoes through a sieve and cool.  Add cream cheese sautéed onion and butter, salt and pepper.  Mix with a fork till well blended.

CHEESE FILLING

1 cup cottage cheese, dry

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons sour cream

salt and pepper

Cream cheese with egg yolk and salt and pepper.  If too thick  add sour cream.

CHEESE FILLING FOR PIEROGI

2 cups farmers cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 onion chopped

Butter

Salt and pepper

Put cheese through a sieve and add beaten egg.  Sauté chopped onion in butter (lightly browned) and cool.  Add cooled onion with butter and salt and pepper to cheese and mix well with fork.

CHEESE FILLING

1 cup dry cottage cheese

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 egg yolks or

1 egg and 1 egg yolk

Force cottage cheese through sieve.  Mix with other ingredients thoroughly.

PRUNE FILLING

1 cup prunes

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Cook prunes with sugar and lemon juice.  When cooled remove stones and fill pierogi.

[Paul’s note: Was going to type “I swear the cookbook says ‘stones.’ “  Then, I got it.]

FRESH BERRIES FILLING

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries.  Sugar fruit at least half hour before using.

APPLE FILLING

4 to 6 apples

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Peel apples and put through coarse blade of grinder.  Mix with sugar and cinnamon.  Fill pierogi.  Apple filling is also good to chop apples fine and add sugar, cinnamon, dash of butter and lemon juice, sauté in frying pan until apples are soft.  Cool thoroughly before using.

LAZY PIEROGI

1 lb. Farmer’s cottage cheese

(put through a sieve)

2 eggs well beaten

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup sifted flour

Mix all ingredients.  Flour your pastry board well and make a roll of dough about 2 inches in diameter.  Cut into ½ or ¾ inch pieces.  Cook in salted boiling water.  Remove from water with a perforated spoon and place on a platter.  Serve with melted butter, slightly browned for extra flavor.

HOMEMADE KLUSKI NOODLES

1 beaten egg

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk or cream

1 cup flour

Mix egg, salt and cream; add flour slowly to make a stiff dough.  Knead until smooth.  Sprinkle flour on board, roll dough thin.  Let stand 20 minutes.  Cut into strips with a sharp knife, then slice small pieces like kluski.  Cook in boiling salted water and drain.  Serve with chicken broth or just buttered.

[Paul’s note: I just do what my grandmother and mother did.  First, double the recipe.  I just flatten the dough some and take small pieces of dough off flattened ball with a spoon and flick the pieces off into the boiling water with my thumb.]

From Clayton, Jr., Bernard.  The Complete Book of Pastry – Sweet and savory. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983.

Meat filling:

3 tablespoons butter

2 ½ cups minced onions

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

3 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped dried or fresh dill weed

¼ cup minced parsley (packed solidly in measure)

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup sour cream

The meat and onion mixture is ground or processed fine after it is sautéed and before it is blended with the other ingredients.

Place butter in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onions for 8 minutes, or until they are transparent and soft but not brown.  Stir in the ground beef.  Mash the meat with a fork to break up clumps and cook until all of it is browned – no pink – about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  When meat has cooled somewhat, either grind through the finest blade of a meat grinder, or chop the mixture finely with a knife.  The smoothest result is obtained with a food processor, using the steel blade.

In a large bowl combine the chopped eggs, dill weed, parsley, salt, pepper, and sour cream.  Taste and correct the seasoning as desired.  Put aside while rolling the dough.