CNYEats Pierogi

In our book A Taste of Utica, the recipe for Pierogi can be found on pages 146 (the dough), 147 (the filling), 148 (more pierogi dough #1, and #2), and finally, Leniwe Pierogi – Lazy Way out.

Take your pick. The dough recipe I made was the most basic by Mikki Markowski. The filling used was the Sauerkraut (Kapusta) filling. Make sure to check out the Leniwe recipe. It really is a pierogi twist.

Posted by Mikki Markowski who says “This is an old recipe but easy enough to adapt to today’s methods”

Will make about 36 pierogi

2 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the flour with the egg by cutting in with a knife. Add the salt and water and knead until firm. Rest 10 minutes covered.

Divide dough in half and roll out thin. Cut circles.

Place a small spoonful of filling – *see below for your choice of fillings – a little to one side of each round of dough. Moisten edges with water and fold over filling, pressing edges firmly together.

Boil a pot full of salted water and cook gently for 3 – 5 minutes. Remove with perforated spoon.

*The dough may dry out as you are working. Dry dough won’t seal so work quickly, maybe with a friend. **Do not crowd or pile pierogi. Since they stick, make sure to flour them well.

Fillings

Sauerkraut (Kapusta)

1 TBS olive oil or butter
8 oz sauerkraut – drain and rinse well
1 small onion, chopped small
4 oz mushroom pieces

Sauté onion in oil (or butter). Add the sauerkraut and mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Cheese Filling

1 cup farmers cheese or cottage cheese
1 tsp melted butter
1 egg beaten
3 TBS sugar

Mix (cream) all together.

Potato Filling

1 small onion, chopped small
2 – 3 potatoes

Cook and mash the potatoes. Sauté onion in butter. Add the mashed potatoes and allow to cool. You might also want to add cheese, salt and pepper, maybe sugar to taste.

Cheese Pierogi Filling – posted by Pat Harris

1 lb farmers cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1 small onion, minced fine

Mix all together and fill pierogi

Pierogi Dough #1 –Posted by Bob Hovish

Combine

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour …with

1/2 tsp salt …and sift together in a bowl. Make a hole in the middle and drop in

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter…. and mix together until it’s all smooth and elastic. *If the dough feels hard, add a little water to soften and work it in.

For sauerkraut filled pierogi, buy either fresh or canned and drain all the liquid. Slice a large onion thin and sauté in butter until brown. Add a little salt to the kraut to taste.

Pierogi Dough #2 – Posted by Bob Hovish

6 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 lb melted butter
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 pint sour cream

Sift flour and salt in a bowl. Add butter, milk, egg and sour cream. Mix into a soft dough.

Cut circles with a biscuit cutter. Moisten edges with water and fill with a small amount of filling, fold over and drop into simmering water for 5 minutes.

“There is (was?) a Polish grocery store on Lenox Ave. They sell Farmers cheese that is used to make cheese pierogi. For each pound of cheese, I like to add one egg and a TBS of sugar then mix together with the cheese. Enjoy!”

Leniwe Pierogi – Lazy Way out, posted by Mikki

sauerkraut
butter
onions
mushrooms
corkscrew macaroni – cook according to package direction

Sauté butter and onions, add mushrooms and kraut. Cook until desired taste. Add the cooked macaroni and toss with a bit more butter. You can also do this with cheese but it should be farmers cheese or cottage cheese put thru a sieve.

Mikki says “You’ll be surprised at how much they taste like the real stuff!!!”