Homemade Polish Pierogies

I made about a million pierogies the other day, at least it felt like I made that many.  First I made the dough.  Mix 4 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, 4 eggs and 4 T. of canola oil together until they form a ball.  You might need to add a bit of water depending on how big your eggs are.  When you have a nice smooth ball of dough, wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge.

I made a potato, cheese and onion filling by ricing 2 baked potatoes with 1/2 minced onion, 1 C. of shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper and 2 T. sour cream.  Taste it and if it is delicious, it is ready.

I cut some chives, which are just starting to show up in my garden, and added them to the mix.  This mixture needs to be at room temperature or chilled before filling the pierogies. It also should be on the dry side.

For the second filling, I made a mixture of mushrooms and sauerkraut.  Rehydrate some dried mushrooms and dice them up and chop some fresh ones too.  Saute' them in some butter with a minced onion.  Add S&P to taste.

Blot 1 C. of sauerkraut dry and dice it into small pieces.  Add this to the mushroom mix, and saute' a bit, add 2 T. of sour cream, stir and then set it aside to cool.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll it very thin.

 Cut as many circles as you can get, brush off the flour and form the scraps into a ball and set it aside.  After you have rolled and cut all the dough, roll out the scraps and make some more!

This is out of place and I couldn't move it.  As you make them place them on a floured cookie sheet before you boil them.  If you are going to freeze some, place the cookie sheet in your freezer until they are frozen and then throw them in a ziplock bag.
Place a scoop of your filling on each disk.

Dip your finger in some water and dot the edge of one side with it. Fold one side to the other and crimp tightly to seal.  You don't want these babies opening when you boil them.  Now is the time to curse your dead relatives for not being there to help you make these.  Twenty little Polish women would come in very handy right about now.  At this point, I actually swore to myself that these were the last pierogies I would ever make. I told myself I can buy fabulous pierogies in any number of places in this city and why the hell would I spend hours and hours standing alone in my kitchen making ones that might pale in comparison? I felt liberated.

Bring some salted water to a boil and boil about 8 at a time.

Melt some good butter and pour it in a flat container.

Melt more butter in a heavy pan and add some sliced onions.  I used spring onions here.  Fry them just until they begin to soften.

The pierogies are done when they float to the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the melted butter.  Turn them gently to coat.  You don't want them to stick to each other.

The sauerkraut and mushroom are the darker ones.

Keep layering them and turning them in the butter.  I only made enough for one meal and froze the rest of them.

Top with the onions and serve them with a side of sour cream.  My family said these were the best pierogies they ever had so I guess I am not out of the pierogi business yet...damn!

Comments

JMD said…
Boy, those look delicious. Yum. Where did you buy your potato ricer. Mine die about 5 years ago and I haven't found a replacement. :(
Marie said…
Oh goodness, do you deliver to Sweden?

I could smell them from here. ♥♥

I've always wanted to know how to make these and now I have a perfect tutorial to follow. Thank you so much!
brokenteepee said…
I did this one day although my dough had sour cream in it.

All frappin' day long. But it was nice to have them in the freezer.

I made bacon, cheddar, potato. mmmmmm
jaz@octoberfarm said…
you can buy potato ricers in lots of places. sur la table and william sonoma carry them but i am sure they can be found cheaper on amazon or ebay.
Anonymous said…
this is almost exactly like we do ours!! They are beautiful Joyce, do you eat them or just the rest of the family?
Megs said…
Oh, I will have to make these!
Anonymous said…
I love pierogies but I don't think I've eaten polish ones. In the early eighties pierogies became almost as popular as hamburgers here, mostly it was either Russian or Finnish one they sold. Then we met the Kebab and the history of pierogies stopped. Too bad because I think they were just as good as kebab's or hamburgers.

Have a great day!
Christer.
Guillaume said…
More exotic yummies.
linda said…
They look delicious... I am going to give this one a try..
In a word - yum! These look fantastic!
Barb said…
Oh my gosh, they look so yummy!!!!!!
TARYTERRE said…
Those look so good. Would you believe I never had a pierogie, ever.
Joy said…
Yum! I must learn how to make pierogies especially since I'm living here in Poland! :-)

Generally, the pierogies served in restaurants are topped with bacon "gravy" and chives, and/or served with a side of sour cream. I love the crispy bacon bits!
They look so delicious! My kind of comfort food, thanks for sharing!
Heritage Hall said…
Shades of my Baba's kitchen...it
smells so delicious in your kitchen as it once did in hers.
I am certain you can gather a few
ladies of Polish persuasion to assist you once they discover what
a talented cook you are. Many thanks for the tutorial...a gem.
luckybunny said…
Great minds! I wanted to make these today so bad. I managed to pull of cabbage rolls somehow, I'm still not sure how. I have a major craving for these though. I'm going to try your recipe too, they look amazing. I'm drooling.
Barb said…
Making perogis are definitely a pain the ....! So much work, they are delicious but find a good polish store! It's so much easier.