3 1/2 qt Water
2 c Potatoes; unpeeled, chopped
1 c Farmer cheese
3/4 c Sharp cheddar cheese; grated
1 tb Lemon juice
1 ts Dijon mustard
1 ts Dried dill
1 ds Black pepper
1 1/2 c Unbleached white flour
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Nutmeg
4 tb Butter
2 Eggs; beaten
Butter
1 c Sour cream
Paprika
Pierogies are a small turnover that can be baked or boiled like a
dumpling. We have always baked our pierogies at the café. Then I ate
at a Polish restaurant in Montreal and ordered pierogies. They boiled
theirs, using a dumpling type of dough, and smothered them in butter
and dollops of sour cream when they were served. They were delicious.
So I went home and experimented, trying to duplicate what I had
eaten. Here is a wonderful, if not exact, replica.
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan, add potatoes, and cook
until tender. Drain and mash well in a medium-sized bowl. Add the
farmer and cheddar cheeses, lemon juice, mustard, dill weed, and
pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Combine the flour, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Or, if you have
a food processor, use the chopping blade attachment and add the flour
to the bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until well
blended. Add eggs and knead until smooth. This can all be done with
the food processor or by hand. Dough should be smooth, moist, and
elastic. Divide dough evenly into 16 balls.
Bring 3 qt water to boil in a 4 qt pot over medium heat. Set a lid on
the pot and the water will boil more quickly.
Roll out each piece of dough into a 4-1/2" diameter circle. It
doesn't have to be perfectly round. Put approximately 1-1/2 tb
filling into 1/2 the circle, leaving a 1/4" border to the edge of the
dough. Now fold the half circle with no filling over the half with
filling. Dip a fork in water and press down the edges of the circle
to seal it. Repeat this process until all your circles have been
rolled out and the filling is all used up.
Place 3 to 4 pierogis into the boiling water, whatever fits in the pot
comfortably. When they rise to the top they should then boil 5
minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon when done. Repeat until all the
pierogies are cooked. Serve with pats of butter over the pierogies
and garnish with dollops of sour crea and a generous sprinkle of
paprika.
If you don't plan to eat all the pierogies at once, freeze the
uncooked extras for another meal. They can go from their frozen state
into boiling water. Just increase the cooking time in the boiling
water by 3 minutes.
Recipe by Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan
