Visitor in my Kitchen….
No, not an unwanted visitor…..a very welcome visitor and this particular visitor, brought a family recipe that she is willing to share.
You have heard me speak about Her Majesty, …she is a friend I met a few years ago who makes her winter home in Florida, although she and her husband stay a little longer each year…one could say she is almost a permanent resident. She is from Europe…specifically Germany, but originally from Romania. She is a hoot….and her talks about her family history, has me dubbing her…Her Majesty! In a future post I will tell you more about her.
At first, Her Majesty dismissed my suggestion that she provide the recipe for her family’s Pierogi recipe.
She said the ingredients vary and it is difficult to describe the feel of the dough and a bunch of other excuses. I finally convinced her that my readers would understand and experiment with the fillings and dough, just as a new baker would with pie dough or dinner rolls. These “talents” come with repetition and soon the making of a pierogi would be second nature to young or old cooks. 😉
A little history regarding Pierogi….Her Majesty never adds the “s”….just sayin’! 😉
According to Wiki, “Although Pierogi are still an important part of Polish culture and cuisine today, they are very popular in other European countries such as Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine. Pierogi are the Polish form of a handmade dumpling, made of unleavened dough, usually shaped into a semi-circle”.
Pierogi can be filled with anything and fried in a little butter and onions with sour cream….yummy!
OR…you could buy them frozen in the dairy case….but why would you when you could make your own? 🙂
Below is the handy dandy printable recipe, as always.
Do you, my dear readers, have a family recipe you would like to share?
Have a great start to your week!
- 3 cups of hot boiled potatoes
- ½ cup old cheddar cheese, grated
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1¼ cup of potato water (save it from potatoes!)
- 2½ - 3 cups of flour, depends on dough
- pinch of salt
- Boil your potatoes and drain, reserving the water for the dough. Place the potatoes into a bowl and mash together with the cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese has melted and mixture is combined. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and potato water in a large bowl. Mix in the flour and salt until soft, slightly tacky dough forms. It should not stick much.
- Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for an hour.
- Flour your board and turn out the dough onto it. Sprinkle the dough slightly with flour. Roll into a thin layer, slightly less than than a ¼ of an inch. Cut out circles with a small soup can or glass.
- Place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of each dough circle. Pinch the sides until sealed. You can use a fork but I prefer to use my fingers.
- To cook, bring water to a boil in large pot, then place pierogi in the pot. Boil until they pop to the top, then cook for about two minutes more.
- Drain and brown slightly in non-stick skillet with a bit of melted butter to prevent sticking.
- These can be frozen ahead of time. Place on a baking sheet and freeze, when they are frozen, place in a freezer bag. Pop out what you need and replace in freezer.
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.