Dumplings around the world! Let’s do it! Let our taste buds take us around the world! Today we are going to my “neck of the woods”. We are going to Poland. We will be tasting pierogi. There are many different kinds of pierogi in Poland. Today, I am making Polish potato pierogi or pierogi
PIEROGI
Yield: 60 pierogies
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
600 grams (1.3 pounds) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg, beaten
255-300 grams hot water
Potato filling
1500 g (3 pounds) Russet potatoes, unpeeled
2 sticks (2 cups) butter, divided
2 medium onions, diced
400 grams (14 ounces) farmer cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
To make the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add eggs, olive oil, and water. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon, until soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with flour as needed, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Wrap in a plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes.
To prepare the filling: Place potato in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt to your liking. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until fork-tender. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until golden brown; set aside.
Drain potatoes and let it cool. Peel the potatoes once cooled enough to handle. Press the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Let it cool to room temperature.
Add the onions, farmer cheese and stir until combine. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
To assemble pierogi: divide the dough into four parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 2 millimeters (1/8-inch) thickness. Cut into round shapes with a sharp 8-centimeter (3 ¼ inches) object (I used a top part of the cocktail shaker; may also use 3-inches biscuit cutter). Place about 2 tablespoons of feeling in the center of each circle. Fold int a half-moon shape and press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Brink a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add about 17 pierogi to the boiling water. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook pierogi for about 1 minute after they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a Dutch oven.
While pierogi are cooking, melt 1 stick of butter in a small skillet. Poor over pierogies immediately after they are transferred to the Dutch oven to prevent them from sticking. Pierogi can be served right after they are cooked. However, they taste much better after you pan-fried them in butter until they golden-brown.
