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!