Homemade Pierogies with Granma

by Sarah Anne

It all started with a perfect little dish of antipasto, which then spiraled into a conversation about getting back to basics with cooking and food. Of course I whole heartedly agreed! What I didn't realize, was that basics for Granma included making cabbage rolls and pierogies. 

Let us stop right here for a moment. Have you ever had a pierogi? A potato-ey soft, half-moon filled with cheese, mashed potatoes, onion, cottage cheese, so tender they just melt in your mouth? Boiled and tossed with sauteed onions, maybe butter or sour cream? If you haven't, I suggest you do before you go any further. Or at least collect the ingredients (if you don't already have them, it is that simple) in this post and make them. ASAP.  

I'm a fan, as you can probably tell, so when Granma said she used to make them from scratch, I got excited.  Before I knew it, my Mother in Law and Granma were in the kitchen making dough and fillings. 

I will say this may be time intensive, but it isn't hard. Besides, it's good to get a few sets of hands in the kitchen, even kids could put the dumplings together I think. I haven't included a filling recipe here, but we stuffed ours with two different fillings. One was cottage cheese and green onion, the other was cottage cheese, shredded cheddar and sauteed onion. The options go on and on, and you can even use mashed potato inside! Pasta with mashed potatoes inside. Does it get any better than that? Do be sure to use salt and pepper to taste.

Pierogi Dough

1/4 c oil (vegetable)
1 c water
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 c Instant Potatoes (Idahoan Brand was used here)
2 c flour

Wisk the first four ingredients together. Then add the instant potatoes and stir until combined. Let that sit for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of flour. Mix together and knead until the dough is smooth. Add flour as needed if the dough is sticky and continue to add flour until the dough is smooth and silky. (It really does get beautifully soft and delicate) Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Once dough has rested, roll out and cut with a small, round cookie cutter.

Use about a teaspoon of filling (see above for filling ideas) and fold over, sealing edges with a gentle pinch. Lay the filled pierogies on a flour-dusted baking sheet until you're finished. More than one set of hands really helps with this process.

A few notes about this recipe. The dough is extremely soft and tender, it won't be like pasta dough that is firm. It's doughy, soft and delicate. Because of this, there is no need to wet the edges when bringing the dumplings together.  Also, similarly to other stuffed pastas, don't overfill them, and get out the air before sealing the best you can. Oh! Please, please don't try to use real mashed potatoes. We tried. It doesn't make the same dough. Just use the instant kind. I promise, you'll thank me.

You can boil these up fresh, just until they float or they can be frozen. Make sure to put them on a floured baking sheet and freeze individually before putting them in freezer bags for the long haul. Don't thaw them though, just toss in salted, gently boiling water and wait until they rise to the top before draining and serving them up. Otherwise, you'll have a sticky, doughy mess on your hands. Trust me on this one.

I had such a great time making these with family and eating them felt cozy inside as I remembered the three of us in the kitchen, folding up dumplings.  If you give these a try, be sure to let me know how they turned out! I would love to hear about your experiences.

Do you have a family recipe that you make regularly? Perhaps a new tradition? 

Comments

[stephanie]

Pierogies and stuffed cabbage are our traditional Christmas Eve dinner! We finally got a stand mixer and a pasta attachment this year, so I'm excited to try making pierogies from scratch. (I took a cooking class on them several months ago.)

[Jen L.]

YUUUUUUUM! Thank you for sharing this! The only time I've ever been out of the country was to Poland and I pretty much lived off pierogies while I was there. They are so delicious. Your Granma is adorable.

[Sarah Anne]

@Jen L - Thank you! It's my husband's Granma actually, and she's hilarious. They *are* delicious! I hope you try them out!