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The taste of pierogi is still on my mind as I’ve returned from the Polish Festival in Riverhead, New York. That thought brings me back to my Grandfather who made the stuffed dumplings by the hundreds when I was a child. I had a Polish Grandfather, so we made Pierogi. But if he were Italian, the method for making Ravioli would be the same. If he were Latin, I might be making Empanadas. If he were Indian, they’d be Samosas. If he were Greek, I’d be preparing Spanakopita. Just the filling changes for an item in which every world culture stuffs meat, potatoes, cheeses or vegetables into an unleavened dough. In fact, I consider Pierogi “Slavic Ravioli”, because instead of ricotta cheese, pierogi are stuffed with mashed potatoes, onions, sour cream and cheeses. It’s a traditional Polish dish that’s served with sour cream or apple sauce on the side. I prefer the sour cream, but the apple sauce does give a very nice sweet/savory contrast in your mouth. The process is quite simple and fun. Once you’ve made a basic dough, the act of filling them can be a family project. Kids love to stuff the dumplings and seal them around the edges. Dough Formula: Pinch of Salt 2 cups of All Purpose Flour 1 Egg ½ cup sour cream ¼ cup softened butter 1) Mix these ingredients together with the dough hook on your electric mixer to a smooth dough. The dough must rest for an hour in the refrigerator afterward. Filling Formula: 2 Pounds of potatoes, peeled and quartered 4 ounces diced onion 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack Cheese Salt and Pepper to Taste 1) Simmer the potatoes until they are crushable under a fork. 2) Whip all the ingredients together and chill for later filling. 3) Roll out the dough into thin sheets and cut rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter. 4) Wash each round of dough with egg to that they seal correctly. 5) Portion filling onto each round and pinch to seal all edges. Now that we’ve created pierogi with just a few simple ingredients, it makes me think of the same procedure my Grandfather would complete to make the very same potato pillows. It’s the simplicity of this Polish treat that makes them so appealing. It’s the world-wide appeal of a stuffed dough that makes them so versatile. How do you cook pierogi? I’d like you to tell me. Please leave a comment below with how you’d complete the final preparation step. Would you simmer them like pasta? Would you steam them like dumplings? Would you bake them like enchiladas? Would you sauté them like tortellini? Pierogi are so much fun to make, are wonderfully delicious, and give you a wide variety of ways to prepare them for any meal of the day. See Chef Todd Make Pierogi in less than 4 minutes
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