Pierogies

This is one of John's favorites. His mother makes them for him everytime he goes to visit. Since he doesn't get to visit often, I decided to ask her for the dough recipe so I could make them for him too.

This recipe makes a pretty big batch (about 5-6 dozen) and although very easy, it does take a while to assemble. So unless you plan on feeding a crowd or freezing a bunch (like we do) you may want to cut the recipe in half.

You can fill them with whatever you like. Potatoes, potatoes and cheese, meats, sauerkraut, the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon salt

2 cups of water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6-7 cups of all purpose flour + more for rolling

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, slowly adding the flour until a slightly sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rest for about half an hour.

In the meantime, prepare you fillings. 

John likes mashed potatoes with Velveeta cheese mixed in. I've discovered that the potatoes are much easier to work with if they're chilled. Normally what I do is make a large batch for dinner the night before. I take the leftovers while they're still hot and mix in small cubes of Velveeta and stir until melted. I also add a little garlic, onion powder or other spices and then cover and refrigerate.

Our second favorite filling is ground beef. I dice a small onion and saute it with a small amount of oil or butter with a little salt, pepper, a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic. Remove from the pan and brown the ground beef, drain the grease from the beef add the onion mixture back in and then stir in about a quarter to a half a cup of sour cream and a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce. You can add whatever spices you like, of course.

Once the dough has rested. Sprinkle flour on your work surface your hands and rub flour on the rolling pin as well. I like to work with about 1/4 of the dough at a time. The less you work the dough the easier. If you work it too much, it becomes too elastic and tough.

Roll the dough out to about a quarter in thick, about like you would if making sugar cookies. Use a glass or a round cookie cutter to cut the dough in circles.

Put a little water in a small bowl. Dip your fingers in the water and wet the dough all the way around the top edge, this will help it stick together when you fold it over. Place about 1-2 Tablespoons of the filling of your choice to one side of the dough.

Carefully stretch the other half over the filling and press the edges together to form a half moon shape. Be sure that the dough is sealed well so that the filling won't come out with the next step.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, I like to add a little salt to the water to ensure an even boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down so that the water is at a slow boil, you don't want a rolling boil when you place the Pierogies in the water, as it may cause the them pop open, spilling the fillings. Place the Pierogies gently into the water one at a time in batches of 2-3 for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface.

Remove them one by one and place in a strainer to drain the excess water while you put in another batch to boil. Once they have cooled enough to handle I coat each one with a little vegetable oil to help keep them from sticking together. Layer a container or plate with waxed paper and put the Pierogies in single layers, one layer on top of another until you've boiled them all. Try to avoid overlapping them as they tend to stick together and when you try to separate them later it will tear the dough.

At this point you can either proceed, or cover and refrigerate them for later. You can also package. I usually use my Seal-A-Meal for freezing but you can also freeze them in regular Ziploc bags.

When you're ready to enjoy your homemade Pierogies, all you need to do is to melt a good amount of butter in a fry pan and cook them until they're a golden brown on both sides.

 Now they're ready to serve! I like mine with a dollop of sour cream, but you can eat them anyway you like. Enjoy!