Post by skip on Jun 21, 2008 1:45:27 GMT -5
G’Day All!
Over the years I have been slowly extracting my Mom’s best recipes from her memory banks. Like most Polish women of her ilk most of the recipes were never written down, just committed to memory and handed down from generation to generation.
Here, then, is our Polish pierogi recipe. We love them so much but don’t make them anywhere near as often as we should! Polish pierogi rule!
Ingredients
6 mashing potatoes, peeled and segmented
farm cheese, approximately 12oz (300g)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2oz (50g) butter
salt
1 cup water
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp self-raising flour
Method
Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes until a skewer inserted into the segments goes in easily. Drain and mash with the butter and salt. Add in the farm cheese and mash again until the ingredients are well blended.
On a floured board or slab mix together the two flours, then make a well in the middle. Into the well add the eggs and water. Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon. When integrated work the dough with your hands, kneading it well. If the dough is too dry add more water. If the dough is too moist add more plain flour. Continue kneading until you have the dough of the correct consistency (you will recognize it when you have it right).
Next, roll out a manageable portion of the dough with a floured rolling pin. The thickness of the pastry will have a significant impact on the success of the pierogi - too thin and the pierogi could burst when being boiled; too thick and the pastry will have a rubbery texture. You will soon get the hang of it when making your first batch of pierogi.
Using a pastry cutter or an upturned glass, cut out circular discs of pastry. The ideal diameter is 2.5 to 3 inches (6 to 7.5cms). Take each pastry disc and, with a pastry brush paint the circumference with water, then spoon on some of the potato filling into one half of the disc. Fold over the other half of the disc to make a half-moon, crimping it down immediately to make a good seal - either with your fingers or the prongs of a fork. Continue making more pierogi, then drop them into a pot of boiling salted water. When cooked (after a few minutes) the pierogi will float to the top. Scoop out the cooked pierogi with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess water.
The pierogi can be served immediately with a little melted butter poured over them or, if preferred, they can be popped into a frypan and lightly toasted in melted butter. Delicious either way!
Pierogi is classic peasant food. Absolutely delicious, whilst reasonably inexpensive to make.
The one distinguishing feature of pierogi is that they are very more-ish! Even folks with small appetites can demolish several of them! Furthermore, any pierogi not eaten fresh out of the pot or frypan can be stored in the refrigerator for a minimum of a few days up to more than a week, depending on the filling used. It takes a few hours to make a substantial batch of pierogi but the work is most definitely worth it! They are also an excellent way to get kids involved as they can help with filling the pierogi or crimping them. Also, once the pierogi have been made they can be snap-frozen. Then, when needed, they can be popped into boiling water straight from the freezer, ready to eat in minutes!
The filling used in pierogi can be any number of different ingredients, so let your imagination run wild. Other commonly used fillings are sauerkraut, cooked cabbage and onion, cooked minced meat, mushrooms, cooked rice – or any of these in combination! The possibilities are virtually endless. The various pierogi fillings make them all the more attractive.
Cheers.
Skip
Over the years I have been slowly extracting my Mom’s best recipes from her memory banks. Like most Polish women of her ilk most of the recipes were never written down, just committed to memory and handed down from generation to generation.
Here, then, is our Polish pierogi recipe. We love them so much but don’t make them anywhere near as often as we should! Polish pierogi rule!
Ingredients
6 mashing potatoes, peeled and segmented
farm cheese, approximately 12oz (300g)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2oz (50g) butter
salt
1 cup water
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp self-raising flour
Method
Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes until a skewer inserted into the segments goes in easily. Drain and mash with the butter and salt. Add in the farm cheese and mash again until the ingredients are well blended.
On a floured board or slab mix together the two flours, then make a well in the middle. Into the well add the eggs and water. Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon. When integrated work the dough with your hands, kneading it well. If the dough is too dry add more water. If the dough is too moist add more plain flour. Continue kneading until you have the dough of the correct consistency (you will recognize it when you have it right).
Next, roll out a manageable portion of the dough with a floured rolling pin. The thickness of the pastry will have a significant impact on the success of the pierogi - too thin and the pierogi could burst when being boiled; too thick and the pastry will have a rubbery texture. You will soon get the hang of it when making your first batch of pierogi.
Using a pastry cutter or an upturned glass, cut out circular discs of pastry. The ideal diameter is 2.5 to 3 inches (6 to 7.5cms). Take each pastry disc and, with a pastry brush paint the circumference with water, then spoon on some of the potato filling into one half of the disc. Fold over the other half of the disc to make a half-moon, crimping it down immediately to make a good seal - either with your fingers or the prongs of a fork. Continue making more pierogi, then drop them into a pot of boiling salted water. When cooked (after a few minutes) the pierogi will float to the top. Scoop out the cooked pierogi with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess water.
The pierogi can be served immediately with a little melted butter poured over them or, if preferred, they can be popped into a frypan and lightly toasted in melted butter. Delicious either way!
Pierogi is classic peasant food. Absolutely delicious, whilst reasonably inexpensive to make.
The one distinguishing feature of pierogi is that they are very more-ish! Even folks with small appetites can demolish several of them! Furthermore, any pierogi not eaten fresh out of the pot or frypan can be stored in the refrigerator for a minimum of a few days up to more than a week, depending on the filling used. It takes a few hours to make a substantial batch of pierogi but the work is most definitely worth it! They are also an excellent way to get kids involved as they can help with filling the pierogi or crimping them. Also, once the pierogi have been made they can be snap-frozen. Then, when needed, they can be popped into boiling water straight from the freezer, ready to eat in minutes!
The filling used in pierogi can be any number of different ingredients, so let your imagination run wild. Other commonly used fillings are sauerkraut, cooked cabbage and onion, cooked minced meat, mushrooms, cooked rice – or any of these in combination! The possibilities are virtually endless. The various pierogi fillings make them all the more attractive.
Cheers.
Skip
