Polish Pierogies

Here is another international dish you can serve with Polish Kielbasa Sausage.  The beautiful thing about pierogies is that you can fill them with almost anything you can think of.  The traditional Polish stuffings are potato and cheese, cabbage, mushroom and onion or two types of sweet pierogies, blueberry and apple.  You can decide what you want in your stuffing. 

Here is a pierogie dough to get your started.

Pierogie Dough

1 1/2 cup flour, plus additional for dusting

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tbs. vegetable oil

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup water, to seal the pierogies

Traditional Potato Cheese Filling

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbs. butter

Splash of chicken broth or stock, milk or cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by making the potato filling by baking the potatoes in a 400 degree oven until you can insert and remove a knife or fork with no resistance.  Once the potatoes are done and have cooled a bit, but are still hot, peel them and run them through a ricer or just mash them by hand.  Melt the butter and add cheese until melted. Add your potatoes and mix until they are smooth and creamy but a little on the thick side.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill.

Pierogie Dough

To make the dough, start by dumping the flour onto a counter or other work surface and make a well in the center.  Crack the eggs into the center of the well and add the salt, oil and nutmeg.  Using a fork or your fingers, gently stir the eggs and gradually combine it with the flour until you start to form a dough.  You're looking for the dough to be well combined, somewhat heavy for it's size and just a little bit tacky.  Add a little water to the dough if it's still a little dry.  Add a little more flour if it's too wet. 

Chill the dough for a bit, just so that it's easier to handle, and then roll out 1/4 of the dough onto a floured surface into a thin layer.  Using a large biscuit cutter cut out circles.  Using a rolling pin, roll out those circles even more so that the dough is thin but still has a good amount of strength to it.  Remove potatoes from the fridge and pinch together about 2 tablespoons of potatoes into a half moon shape.  Place the potatoes on half of the pierogies.  Using your fingers, wet the perimeter of the dough, fold over the non-potatoed side of the pierogie and pinch all sides tightly.  Repeat this process until the potatoes are gone.

To cook, boil a large pot of salted water.  Carefully dunk a couple of pierogies into the boiling water.  Do this in small batches (no more than 5 or 6 at a time) so that they will cook evenly and not stick together.  Cook them until they float, carefully strain them and set them on a plate to dry.  Fry them up in a little butter so that their exteriors get a subtle little crunch to them.

Variation - You may also add a little Polish sausage and chopped onion in the butter to add additional flavor and color.  Sprinkle with green onion for additional flavor and color.

 Hope you have enjoyed a little trip to Poland.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.