does anyone know how to make pierogies?

Answer 1

I made this recipe and some Polish-heritage transplants said they rocked! My only tip would be to keep the dough COLD before you try to work w/ it. Soft dough is hard to work w/.


Pat's Potato Pierogis "Elegante"
Recipe courtesy Pat Edgcomb
Show: Emeril Live! Potato Contest

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: about 30 pierogis

Filling:
4 to 5 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled in water until fork tender
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon butter, softened
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
Additional ingredients for frying:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 stick butter, plus extra for frying

Filling: This may be made ahead of time! Mash hot potatoes. Saute onion in the butter and add this to the hot mashed potatoes along with the cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. You may add a little milk if too dense. The consistency should be a little thicker than mashed potatoes.
Dough: In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt, cream cheese, egg, butter, and milk. With your hands mix together until dough forms a ball. Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth. You may add a little more flour to make the dough pliable. Divide dough into fourths. Put the pieces under a damp cloth, so it won't dry out. Roll the first piece to 1/4 inch of thickness and cut with a 3-inch cookie cutter or a glass. Put pierogi rounds under damp cloth while cutting the rest.

Assembly of pierogis: For each pierogi, place 1 tablespoon of potato mixture in the center of the dough circle. Fold over to form a half circle. Seal edges by pinching together with your fingers. I then take a fork and press all along the edges. Repeat with remaining dough filling.

Cooking pierogis: Fill a large pot half full with water and bring to a boil. Drop 5 or 6 pierogis in at a time. When they float to the top, cook for 1 minute. Place in a colander to drain. They will stick to paper towels. Repeat with remaining pierogis.

Frying pierogis: In a large frying pan saute onion in butter and remove onion to a separate bowl. Place pierogis in pan and cook for 2 mintues on each side. You may have to add more butter for frying. Remove and place in a covered casserole dish. When all pierogis are prepared, pour sauteed onion over the top. Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

Answer 2

PIEROGI

Dough:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream, buttermilk, or plain yogurt
1 cup water (more if required)
butter or oil
salt and pepper

Combine flour, half of the water, eggs, and the sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt in a large bowl. Stir vigorously to incorporate the eggs.
Slowly stir in the remaining water until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently, lifting dough to stretch.

Continue lifting and stretching the dough until the dough is smooth and somewhat sticky inside, about 3 minutes or so. Do not overwork the dough - if it begins to become elastic, allow it to rest 5-10 minutes under an overturned bowl before working with it again.

When the dough has been kneaded enough, place in a storage bag in the refrigerator to rest 20 minutes, or leave on the counter under an overturned bowl 30 minutes, to allow any gluten which may have developed to rest.

While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling.


Filling:

3 medium or 2 very large waxy potatoes (baking)
3 T unsalted butter
1-2 T light olive oil (or schmaltz)
1 large onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 small leek, finely minced (optional)
2 T Parmesan or white cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the potatoes in their jackets, in a covered heavy pot with barely enough water to cover them in slightly salted water (add about 2 tsp salt to the water). Simmer over low heat until potatoes are fork tender, then remove from heat. (If you can judge when they'll be done, remove from heat 10 minutes in advance and just allow to steam in the pot with the heat turned off).
Allow the potatoes to cool sufficiently to handle, and rub off the skins with a clean towel. Drain the pot you cooked them in, and return the potatoes to the pot and shake them around a bit to dry them.

Put the potatoes through a sieve or a potato ricer if you have one, otherwise, use a masher. Set them aside.

In a skillet, combine butter and oil or schmaltz over medium heat to melt. Saute the garlic, onion, and leek, if you have one, for a few minutes until they begin to take on a translucent color.

Stir in the cabbage, turn the heat to high for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, reduce heat and allow cabbage to begin to brown, 6-8 minutes. Then add the potatoes, cheese, and season to taste. Remove from heat and go on to work with the dough again as the filling cools.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into balls 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter. Roll each out with a rolling pin into a 3-3 1/2" round approximately 1/8 inch in thickness. Cover the ones you've made with a damp paper towel as you work. If you prefer, you can use a KitchenAid pasta roller attachment (or other pasta machine) to roll out the dough circles. Be sure to flour both sides lightly first.

Hold the dough in one hand, and place a round ball of filling or spoonful into the center. Fold in half to enclose the filling, and pinch the edges securely together. Don't allow filling to touch the edges to avoid an imperfect seal. Be sure there are no openings along the edges, or the filling will boil out.

Boil a large pot of salted water as you continue to fill the remaining pierogi until all the ingredients run out. As you work, place a sheet of waxed paper dusted lightly with flour or corn meal over and between the pierogi layers until ready to boil.

Cooking: Gently lower pierogi into rapidly boiling water 3-5 at a time and cook for a few minutes until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue til all are cooked. Serve fresh with melted butter, or saute in butter until lightly brown on outside.

An alternative to cooking these in water is to boil them in the broth remaining from a boiled ham, or in chicken broth.

NOTE: If your pierogi are too doughy, you either rolled the dough circles so they were not thin enough, or if their thickness was correct, they may not have been evenly rolled or cooked sufficiently. The first attempt is not always perfect, but if you note where you could have done better, your next batch will be much improved!

Answer 3

No, but have you ever tried Mrs. T's pierogies? They are really good and come in several varieties.
You can find them in the freezer section at your local grocery store.