Polish Pierogies

I learned how to make pierogis from Magda, our au pair from Poland.  The dough is soft, tender, and not at all sticky, so you need no flour when rolling out the dough.  This is important, because adding flour as you roll makes the dough tough.   Virtually any type of filling works with pierogi, from savory to sweet.  We love these recipes for potato and cheese, sauerkraut, and mushroom and cabbage.  

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Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Mushroom and Cabbage Pierogi

Sauerkraut Pierogi

Making Pierogi

Making the pierogi is a labor of love, so that is why we plan these for special holidays.  It typically takes an afternoon of rolling the dough, cutting out the rounds, pinching around the fillings, and then boiling in a large pot of water.  Many hands make light work if you can have stations setup for each step.  Once you start you really need to commit.  But SO worth it!

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Measure flour out onto a rolling surface and add salt. Using your hands combine flour with cold butter until resembles meal.   Pull flour mixture together into a mound and create a well in the center.  Drop in 1 egg and 1/3 cup of water into center.  Using one hand mix flour with liquid with one hand while keeping mound together with other hand.  You may need to add additional water depending upon the humidity levels to achieve a soft, smooth dough.

Knead dough until flour is incorporated and forms firm ball.  Dough should be soft but not sticky.  Cover in bowl with warm damp towel and rest for 10 minutes.  

Use a quarter of the dough at a time and taking care to cover rest of dough with damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Roll out dough onto smooth rolling surface until is as thin as possible, roughly an 1/8 of an inch thick.  Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.

Placing one round in the palm of your hand, place 1 tbsp of filling in center of the round.  Starting at the top pinch the two sides together.  Then working at each end, pinch together the sides.  Dough should be just the right consistency that you do not need water to seal.  Be sure these are well sealed to prevent the filling from coming out during boiling. Place these on a non stick surface, such as a silicone baking sheet and cover with plastic until ready to cook.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop 5-10 pierogies into pot at a time, and boil for 3-5 minutes.  Avoid crowding the pot, or the dough will get tough.  Remove from pot with slotted spoon to drain, and place on non stick baking sheet or silicone baking mat.  Once cooled they can be frozen, making sure to separate them when placing in the freezer. Defrost before cooking.

To serve, fry the pierogis in a skillet with one tablespoon each of olive oil and melted butter until slightly browned.  Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.