You don't need a pierogi maker to create these authentic Polish pierogies. Just use those appendages at the end of your arms.
Polish cooks raised on pierogies can stuff and seal these little potato pies expertly. The novice pierogi maker will need patience, practice, and lightly floured hands to fold the dough over the cheese-and-potato filling, creating a seal that won’t burst when these staples of Polish cuisine cook in boiling water.
Recipe for Polish Cheese and Potato Pierogi
Pierogi dough:
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 1 egg
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon and knead lightly in the bowl. Rest dough for one-half hour covered with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Meanwhile, make the filling:
- 1 to 1½ pounds farmer’s cheese, or dry plain curd cottage cheese
- 2 to 3 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed.
Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
Directions for Making Polish Pierogies
After one-half hour, knead the dough a few times on a floured surface and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out with a 2-1/2-inch to 3-inch wide round cookie cutter or drinking glass. (Dip cutter or glass in flour to keep dough from sticking).
Place a teaspoon full of filling in the middle of each dough circle. (When you become an expert, add a little more filling for a plumper pierogi). With floured hands, fold the dough over the filling, and, starting at one end of the resulting crescent, pinch the dough together to enclose the filling. As you pinch the dough closed, continuously work the filling into the pierogi with floured fingers. Make sure the pierogi dough is tightly sealed, or these little dumplings will come apart when boiled.
Place filled pierogi on wax paper while you work.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. When the water comes to a rolling boil, drop 8 to 10 pierogies into pot and turn the heat to medium high or a gentle boil. Nudge the pierogies carefully with a wooden spoon if they don’t rise.
The peirogies are done when they float to the top after 5 or 10 minutes.
Remove pierogies from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a colander. Boil the remaining pierogies in groups using the above directions.
Pierogies are bland without a melted butter and onion topping.
Butter and Onion Topping
Melt:
- 2 sticks of butter
Add:
- One chopped onion
Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until onion is soft.
Drizzle over cooked pierogi.
Freezing Pierogi
Pierogies freeze well and are time-consuming to make, so many Polish cooks create a double batch and freeze the pierogi after boiling them. Reheat in a microwave or cook thawed pierogi in melted butter in a skillet.
