Once you’ve eaten homemade pierogies, you will never settle for “store bought” again. These delicious morsels are the Polish version of filled dumplings, once considered the main ingredient in the diet of many large Polish families.The Potato and Cheese filling provides a nice accent to any meal, but is especially flavorful with Polish Kielbasa (sausage) and Cabbage.
Although pierogies are not difficult to make, they do take a lot of time, so save this recipe for the weekend when you have an afternoon to cook in.
Potato, Onion, and Cheese Filling
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes
1 small onion
3 oz American cheese
4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
Directions
Peel the potatoes and cut each potato into two sections. Place in cold water over medium heat. Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes is fork tender.
Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan. Dice and saute the onion in the butter. Cook until the onion is translucent. Set aside.
When the potatoes a cooked, drain and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Do not whip the potatoes. Add the melted butter and sauted onion and stir well.
Shred or break the American Cheese into small pieces. Add to the potato and onion mixture and mix well. The cheese should partially melt in the warm potato. Set aside to cool before filling pierogies.
Polish Pierogi Dough
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
Directions:
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the center of the flour. Drop the eggs into the center. Add water and lightly mix the egg and water together. Gradually mix the flour into the egg and water mixture until it forms a soft ball. Dough should be slightly sticky.
Cover dough and set in warm place to rest for 10 minutes.
On a floured board, roll out 1/2 of the dough at a time. Cover the remaining dough to prevent the dough from drying out. If the dough is too dry, it will not seal well.
Roll the dough to 1/16 inch thickness. Thick dough will not produce the desired flavor and texture. With a biscuit cutter, cut circles from the dough.
Place one spoonful of filling on each circle. Fold the circles over the dough and filling and crimp the edges with a fork. If the dough is too dry, wet the edges with water. Seal well to prevent filling from leaking out when boiled.
Place pierogies on a platter and set aside. Repeat until all dough is used.
Heat four quarts of salted water to boiling. Using a slotted spoon, drop 5 or 6 pierogies into the boiling water. Boil for 3- 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Remove pierogies with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a covered bowl or serving dish. A little melted butter will keep pierogies from sticking together.
Repeat until all pierogies have been cooked. Serve with melted butter.
For a traditional Polish meal, serve your pierogies with Polish Kielbasa (sausage) and Cabbage.
Polish Sausage (Kielbasa) and Cabbage
Ingredients
1 pound Polish Sausage (kielbasa)
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15 oz can tomatoes
Directions
Slice Polish Sausage or Kielbasa into 1/4 diagonal slices. Fry the kielbasa in a heavy pan over medium heat. Drain fat. Add shredded cabbage and tomatoes. Add one clove of minced garlic. Simmer until the cabbage is tender. Spoon kielbasa and cabbage into a serving dish and serve with steaming hot pierogies
How better can we preserve our heritage than by preserving the very things that were near and dear to the hearts of our ancestors? Serving traditional meals, like Polish Pierogies and Kielbasa creates a tie to the past and to our heritage. I hope these recipes serve you well in preserving a little piece of your heritage and provide a delicious home cooked meal, as well.
