Pierogi - Ruskie
Ingredients For Dough
3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of hot water
125 mL of warm water
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt
Ingredients for Stuffing
3 Potatoes (whichever you prefer)
1 8oz packet of farmers cheese
2 onions
Salt
Pepper
Optional: Garlic Powder
Toppings: Bacon or Pancetta, Sour Cream, Chives
I’ve been attempting to make pierogi as close to the way my grandma has made them for me growing up for about 4 years now. My mom SWORE that her mom never put egg in the dough. Mind you, I’ve seen my grandmother make pierogi in her kitchen with my own eyeballs, but my mother’s conviction of being anti-egg in pierogi dough was stronger than my own reality.
After rummaging through her recipe book, I found a piece of paper that had a list of ingredients and instructions under the title “Ciasto Na Pierogi - Mama.” For those of you that can’t read Polish, that translates to: Dough For Pierogi - Mom. Under the list of ingredients read: one egg. No mom, I’m never letting this down. YEARS I’ve been trying to figure out what’s wrong with the fucking dough.
Directions
Peel, cut, and boil your potatoes until fully cooked.
Mix your flour, salt, butter, and hot water together. Add the rest of the warm water and egg together. Knead your dough on a flat surface for 7-8 minutes. Set it aside to rest for 30 minutes under a towel.
While you are waiting for your dough to rest, let your potatoes cool and mash them.
Cut and sauté your onions until caramelized.
Combine your potatoes, onions, farmer’s cheese, and seasoning.
Take a quarter of your dough and roll it out. Once its about | | thick, cut out circles using the edge of a glass.
Take the stuffing (about a small spoon full, maybe a bit more) place it in the center of the dough, fold over and crimp with your fingers. You can get as fancy with the crimping as you’d like, or if you are lazy or a beginner, use the edges of the fork to pinch the pierog shut.
In a sperate pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil. Place 2-4 pierogi in the boiling water until they each float to the top.
Fry on each side, and add your favorite toppings.
This recipe may seem short, but do not underestimate how much time making 50 pierogi takes. While this recipe, is probably the best I’ve ever attempted, nothing comes close to my grandma’s.
