A few weeks ago, I started craving pierogi. The delicious small dough pockets with various fillings that originated (to my knowledge, I wasn't there) in Poland during the Catholic season of Lent, as a meat free alternative for meals during this period of sacrifice. For that reason, I started the tradition of making pierogi for Easter last year, when I invited my boyfriend, Chris, up to the mountains of NY to visit my Dad and Stepmother. We made a ton of pierogi for an easter feast, and my uncle Tom loved them so much he was glad we made extras, so that he could take some home.
Really, who doesn't love dough stuffed with cheese, potato, cabbage, and all kinds of other fillings now a days?
Which brings me back to a few weeks ago... so here I am craving this laborious recipe, until finally, I didn't want to eat anything else. I had to have my pierogi! So what do I do, I scaled down the recipe to make a small batch, and got to work. Now you can too from home. You'll be craving them too. I made these using things I had in the house, so this is more of a process than a recipe, but comment if you run into any questions!
Winter Cheddar Honey Goat Cheese Pierogi in Brown Butter Sauce
3 Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
3 -4 oz Honey Goat Cheese (don't have honey goat cheese? mix in a slight squeeze of honey to your regular goat cheese)
2 Tbsp Butter (substitute 1 Tbsp out for a Tbsp of nonfat greek yogurt if you have a guilty conscience)
4oz Grated Extra Sharp Cheddar
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1 Egg
1 Tbsp Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Cup water
2 - 3 Cups flour
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1/2 Stick of butter
1/2 Chopped Onion
First make the dough. Mix together the egg, yogurt, milk, and water until blended. Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time. You want to only add enough flour until you have a loose sticky dough.
On a floured surface, turn out your dough scraping it and dusting with flour as necessary. Knead the dough with your hand and scraper until it because somewhat elastic and no longer sticky. Do not over knead or over flour! You will toughen your dough. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap *I prefer using a bowl that has been inverted* and let rest for 1 hour.
In the mean time, quarter and peel your potatoes, then boil them in salted water until they are tender enough to mash with a fork (takes 10-15 minutes). When they are ready, strain, and either process them with a potato ricer, or just beat them up with a fork or potato masher. You want the consistency of mashed potatoes. Then add all your cheese and the butter, and mash them up some more! Great stress relief. If you have more filling than necessary with the pierogis, congratulate yourself, you have some killer mashed potatoes for later in the week. Lucky you.
When the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until its about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter using a cookie cutter or rim of a glass.
Now fill those circles with a bit of your potato mixture. Just enough so that you can stretch and fold the dough over it and pinch the sides (tightly) so that it doesn't leak out on you. Your little pockets should look like this:
Once you're done with all the filling, boil a pot of water. While you wait for a boil to roll, chop your onion, and melt your butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add your onion to the oil and let both brown.
Take your pockets to the pot of salted boiling water, and boil a few at a time (depends on the size of your pot). When they rise to the surface, let them cook for 2 minutes more, and then take them out with a slotted spoon, shaking off as much moisture as possible.
Add the pierogis to the saute pan of butter and onion and let them cook at medium heat until they are brown and golden on both sides. Repeat until all of your pierogis are cooked. Enjoy!
Remember, pierogis are a process more than a recipe, so if they don't come out exactly right the first time you try them, don't get discouraged! Every batch I make comes out better than the last, and the result is certainly always delicious. If something doesn't work out, let me know, and we can brainstorm for your next plan of attack! Good luck and good eating!
