Pierogi Ruskies: Potatoes. Cheese. Butter. The Polish are genius – this is dumpling heaven! An excellent weekend venture – prepare dinner some now, freeze some for later. They prepare dinner from frozen!!
A Pierogi Ruskie recipe
I’m so excited to be bringing you this Pierogi recipe! I’d eat them day-after-day in the event that they didn’t tip the scales within the mistaken route. 😭
Even should you haven’t tried a Pierogi earlier than, all you’ll want to know is that these ones are tacky, creamy mashed potato crammed dumplings served with an intensely butter onion sauce.
In different phrases, it’s each Cheese-Lovin’ Carb Monster’s Dream come true, and she or he who’s the self appointed Head Priestess of this Membership was actually in mind-boggling ecstasy when confronted with a plate of those.
They’re, to say the least, one of the crucial scrumptious issues I’ve eaten this yr!
What are Pierogi?
Pierogi are Japanese European stuffed dumplings which might be normally boiled. As with many conventional meals, there are regional varieties with fillings starting from candy to savoury, meat to meatless.
This potato and cheese-filled Pierogi recipe I’m sharing right now is a meatless type common in Poland. The filling? Cheese! Potato! Butter! Even should you’ve by no means had one earlier than, these three phrases already imply you recognize you’re going to find it irresistible!
What they style like: Pierogis are heartier and heftier than Asian dumplings like gyoza and Chinese language potstickers. The dumpling wrapper is thicker and the filling is usually wealthy. The dumpling itself can be larger and heavier, and infrequently topped with a sauce of melted butter. Tt will not be the lightest of meals however it will likely be among the best stuff you eat this month!!
Elements in Pierogi
Very, only a few!
THE Pierogi filling
It’s basically tacky, buttery, creamy mashed potato. See authenticity be aware beneath the picture on the cheese.
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Potatoes – Use all-rounder potatoes in order that they mash up fluffy and creamy. The commonest potatoes at common shops will probably be tremendous – they’re stocked as a result of they’re nice all-rounders.
Australia – Sebago (the filth brushed potatoes bought in every single place) are good, Desiree are nice too. US: Yukon Gold, russet, UK: Maris piper, King Edward.
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Cheese – I exploit cheddar however any good melting cheese you’d fortunately put in your grilled cheese is okay. Give mozzarella a miss. Whereas it melts nice, it doesn’t have sufficient flavour.
Authenticity be aware – Pierogi is historically made with quark, a mildly tangy European cottage cheese. Quark shouldn’t be one thing I’ve seen regularly in Australia. Shredded cheese, as you possibly can think about, makes a scrumptious various. Bitter cream or common cottage cheese additionally work (and are extra just like quark).
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Butter – Use unsalted so we will add the correct quantity of salt.
Pierogi DUMPLING DOUGH
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Flour – Simply plain / all-purpose flour.
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Giant egg – From a carton labelled “giant eggs” (they need to weight round 55-60g/2 oz).
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Butter – Melted into the water that I by chance overlooked of the phot. 🙂
ONION BUTTER SAUCE
You would serve the Pierogis will simply melted butter and also you’d swoon. Nevertheless it’s even higher with a sautéed onion sauce which is frequent with conventional Polish Pierogis.
The best way to make Pierogi
Pierogis are simpler to wrap than gyoza and potstickers. As a result of Asians like pleating – which might take follow to grasp. The Polish simply press to seal. A lot less complicated! – I’m an enormous fan 🙂
HOT TIP: Acquired a Pierogi itch that wants scratching however do-it-yourself wrappers are out of attain? Use store-bought spherical Asian dumpling wrappers as an alternative. The wrappers are thinner but it surely works a deal with!
1. CHEESY POTATO FILLING FIRST
Make the filling first as a result of it wants 1 1/2 hours to totally cool, throughout which era you’ll have the dough rolled out and reduce, able to fill!
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Boil potatoes in salted water, beginning with the potatoes in chilly water. Why? As a result of in any other case the surface of the potatoes prepare dinner an excessive amount of and begin to crumble earlier than the within is cooked.
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Drain potatoes.
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Mash & combine – Move the potatoes via a potato ricer or mash utilizing an everyday potato masher. Then combine within the butter, cheese, salt and pepper. The cheese gained’t soften – it melts when the pierogis is boiled!
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Cool – Unfold out on to a tray. Cowl with cling wrap, urgent so it’s absolutely in touch, so the filling doesn’t sweat. Cool on the counter (about half-hour) then refrigerate till chilly (1 hour+). You are able to do this the day earlier than.
The filling must be chilly so it doesn’t sweat contained in the dough (which might make the dough soggy). It’s additionally simpler to wrap the dumplings as a result of the potato is agency.
2. methods to make pierogi dumpling DOUGH
You would use your stand-mixer however I benefit from the leisurely technique of hand-kneading this dough. It’s straightforward to handle as a result of it’s a small quantity and the dough is smooth. Plus, hand-kneading is considerably satisfying, and you may (smugly) inform all people lucky sufficient to eat considered one of these – I made these myself with my very own arms. (You understand I do!)
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Dry – Whisk the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
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Add moist – Make a effectively within the centre. Then add melted butter with heat water plus the egg. Combine to mix utilizing a spatula – it will likely be a tough, shaggy dough.
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Knead – Scrape out onto a evenly floured work floor. Knead for five minutes till the dough turns into clean. Use the naked minimal flour as wanted to forestall it from sticking to your arms and the work floor. (An excessive amount of flour = drier stiffer dough = harder to roll out thinly).
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Relaxation – Wrap with cling wrap and go away on the counter for half-hour.
3. MAKING THE PIEROGIS
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Roll out the dough on a evenly floured floor to 3mm / 1/8″ thickness.
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Minimize out rounds utilizing a 7.5 cm / 3″ cutter. Do as many as you possibly can, then collect surplus dough right into a ball, wrap with cling wrap and put aside to roll out and reduce extra later.
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Filling – Place 1 tablespoon of tacky potato filling in the midst of a spherical (20g, if you wish to be actual!).
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Dip finger with water and run alongside fringe of half the circle. This may assist seal securely.
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Fold dough over to surround the filling then press the sides collectively.
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Seal firmly by pinching to make slight dents, the standard look of pierogis.
Place them on a evenly floured tray and proceed to wrap remaining Pierogi (together with rolling out the remaining dough). You must get ~30 pierogis. A pleasant huge batch – prepare dinner some now, freeze some for later!
4. HOW TO COOK PIEROGIS
Boil like pasta! Simply be sure you don’t crowd the pot. Pierogis wants area to bounce round! I prepare dinner 8 in a medium pot, and as much as 12 in a wider pot. Suggestions beneath for batching cooking bigger portions.
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Sauté onion first – Sauté chopped onion in butter till golden on the sides. Then switch right into a bowl or container and use as a lot or as little as you need for no matter measurement serving of pierogis you’re making. 1 giant onion is sufficient for 30 pierogis as a result of they’re solely sparingly scattered with onion, like pictured. Cook dinner onion will preserve for five days within the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.
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Boil 5 minutes – Convey ~3 litres/quarts of water to the boil with 1 tablespoon of salt. Decrease 10 pierogis into the water and prepare dinner for five minutes, or till they’re floating on the floor (they sink at first).
⚠️ As famous above the step images, don’t crowd the pot else the pierogis will stick collectively and prepare dinner erratically.
⚡️ It’s necessary to make use of salted water so that you get some seasoning into the pierogis wrapper because it cooks. Makes it tastier!
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Reserve water – Dip a jug into the water and scoop out 1 cup water. We’re going to make use of a little bit of this water to make the sauce. The cooking water is healthier than faucet water as a result of it’s acquired starch from the pierogi dough in it which makes the sauce thicken. In case you simply blended water + butter collectively, it stays water.
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Scoop out or drain – Then use a slotted spoon to switch pierogi right into a bowl. Or, you possibly can drain in a colander if you’re not utilizing the water to prepare dinner extra.
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Butter sauce – Utilizing a largish pan, soften 25g butter (1 1/2 tablespoons) over medium warmth. Add 1/3 of the onion butter (from step 1) plus the cooked pierogis with 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
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Toss for 1 minute, nonetheless on the range, till the pierogis are coated within the butter sauce. You’ll see it goes from watery (whenever you first add the water) to thickened so it sticks to the floor of the pierogi.
Bigger batch – Simply scale up the butter, onion and water. At this stage, it’s straightforward to eye-ball it. And I wouldn’t discourage using much more butter!
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Serve – Slide onto a serving plate, scraping out each drop of butter. Sprinkle with parsley, add a dollop of bitter cream. Eat and be comfortable!
Huge-batch cooking of Pierogi
As unusual because it sounds to have a complete part on methods to prepare dinner and serve bigger batches of pierogi, there’s really sensible elements that come into play that must be thought-about! The reason being as a result of they’re fairly giant – larger than Gyoza and Chinese language dumplings, you possibly can’t boil greater than 10 to 12 max per batch, they usually must be tossed within the sauce on the range.
So the recipe I’m sharing right now makes 30 pierogis however supplies instructions to prepare dinner one batch of 8 to 10 (which is a pleasant quantity for two folks). Leftovers are good for freezing – you possibly can prepare dinner from frozen!
However if you want to prepare dinner all 30 pierogis, right here’s some sensible ideas for methods to do it!
boiling giant batches
Pierogis must be boiled in a single layer else they will get caught collectively and the wrapping gained’t prepare dinner evenly. So that you’ll max out at round 12 pierogis in a big home-pot.
If you wish to make and serve extra, then boil in batches of 12 and unfold cooked pierogis on a tray. When you’ve boiled as a lot as you need, then drop all of them again into the pot for 30 seconds to reheat earlier than tossing with the butter. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water then drain in a colander.
Giant batch butter sauce tossing
For the butter sauce tossing half, you possibly can put in as many pierogis as you possibly can comfortably match into a big skillet. You would even use a big pot. Simply be sure you can toss the pierogis, as a result of that’s the way you get a pleasant coating of butter on them.
Easy technique for gigantic batches
If you wish to serve all 30 pierogis on the similar time, a simple method to sauce them up is to make the sauce individually then douse over the pierogis.
To do that, prepare dinner the pierogis per above (ie boil then reheat). Drain effectively in a colander and switch right into a serving bowl. Soften 70g / 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter with 1/3 cup of the cooking water in a small pan on medium warmth. Simmer for a few minutes till the butter thickens (the starch within the pierogi cooking water makes this occur).
Serving pierogis
Cooking half completed, it’s time to take pleasure in them! A dollop of bitter cream provides a stunning cooling, tangy creamy contact that pairs so effectively with tacky mashed potato (proof – reader favorite Stuffed Baked Potatoes!). And a little bit sprinkle of parsley or chives provides a pleasant contact of inexperienced to an in any other case very beige plate.
And as a plate of meals that’s an unapologetic celebration of three of my favorite meals teams – butter, cheese and potato – a perky recent aspect of greens could be a pleasant accompaniment. Even this self-confessed Cheese Lovin’ Carb Monster wants one thing recent to chop via all that richness! Strive a traditional mild French dressing with leafy greens or any steamed greens.
Hope you like this as a lot as we do! Huge shout out to our Chef JB for doing a lot of the leg-work on the analysis, growth and testing on this pierogi recipe, then instructing me and answering my many, many questions. It’s been raining pierogis in our kitchen!!! – Nagi x
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Pierogi Ruskies – Polish Dumplings
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook dinner: 40 minutes
Resting dough: 30 minutes
Complete: 1 hour 55 minutes
Mains
European, polish
Servings30 pierogis
Faucet or hover to scale
Directions
Filling:
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Boil potatoes – Put potato and 1 tbsp salt in a big saucepan. Add chilly faucet water so it is 3cm/1 inch above potatoes. Convey to a boil on excessive warmth then scale back warmth to medium excessive and simmer for quarter-hour or till potatoes are smooth.
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Mash – Drain, then cross the potatoes via a potato ricer right into a bowl (or use potato masher)
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Cheese it – Instantly add butter, cheese, salt and pepper. Combine with a picket spoon till absolutely mixed.
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Cool – Unfold out ~1cm / 1/2″ thick on a tray. Cowl with cling wrap, urgent so it’s absolutely in touch. Cool on the counter (~30 min) then refrigerate till chilly (1 hour+).
Pierogi Dough:
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Soften butter – Warmth up the water and butter in a small saucepan over medium warmth simply till butter is melted, don’t boil water. (Or do that within the microwave). Flip off warmth.
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Combine dough – Whisk the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a effectively within the centre after which add the butter water plus egg. Combine to mix right into a shaggy dough.
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Knead – Scrape out onto a evenly floured work floor. Knead for five minutes till the dough turns into clean (Notice 3). You would additionally use your stand mixer.
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Relaxation – Wrap with cling wrap and go away on the counter for half-hour.
Wrapping pierogis:
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Roll & reduce – On a evenly floured floor, roll out the dough to 3mm / 1/8″ thickness. Minimize out rounds utilizing a 7.5 cm / 3″ cutter. Do as many as you possibly can, then collect surplus dough right into a ball, wrap with cling wrap and put aside for later.
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Fill & wrap – Place 1 tablespoon of tacky potato filling in the midst of a spherical. Dip finger with water and run alongside fringe of half the circle. Fold dough over to surround the filling and press to seal, making slight indents (no pleats).
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Wrap remaining – Place them on a evenly floured tray and proceed to wrap remaining Pierogi (together with rolling out the remaining dough). You must get ~30 pierogis.
Onion butter sauce:
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In a non stick skillet, soften the butter till foamy over medium warmth. Add onion and salt, then prepare dinner, stirring repeatedly, for 10 to fifteen minutes till golden on the sides. Scrape out right into a bowl, then put aside (OK to chill).
Cooking & serving pierogis:
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Batch cooking – Instructions beneath are for cooking and serving 10. Boil pierogis in batches of 10 to 12 max, they want area to bounce round within the water, and also you want area to toss them within the butter. (Notice 4 for giant batch cooking)
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Boil 5 minutes – Convey ~3 litres/quarts of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt. Decrease 10 piergosi into the water. Cook dinner for five minutes – they need to be floating on the floor.
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Reserve water & drain – Dip a jug into the water and scoop out ~1 cup water. Then use a slotted spoon to switch pierogi right into a bowl (or drain, if not cooking extra).
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Butter sauce – Soften butter in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add 1/3 of the onion butter plus the cooked pierogis with 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Toss for 1 minute, nonetheless on the range, till the pierogis are coated within the butter. (Notice 4 on scaling up)
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Serve – Slide onto a serving plate, scraping out each drop of butter. Sprinkle with parsley, add a dollop of bitter cream. Eat and be comfortable!
Recipe Notes:
Serving measurement – 4 to five pierogis with a aspect salad makes a pleasant meal. They’re fairly wealthy, really, being solely comprised of potato, cheese and butter!
1. Potatoes – Use your favorite mashing potatoes. All-rounder and floury / starchy potatoes are greatest. The commonest potatoes stocked at common shops ought to be good all-rounders.
Australia – Sebago (frequent filth brushed potatoes), Desiree. US: Yukon Gold, russet, UK: Maris piper, King Edward.
2. Cheese – Historically made with quark which is an European recent cheese which isn’t one thing I’ve seen in Australia. Shredded cheese, as you possibly can think about, is a scrumptious various. Cottage cheese or bitter cream additionally work (and extra just like quark).
I exploit cheddar however any good melting cheese you’d fortunately put in your grilled cheese is okay (tasty, gruyere, Colby). Give mozzarella a miss – doesn’t have sufficient flavour for this recipe.
3. Kneading – Once you first combine the dough within the bowl and type right into a ball, the floor is tough and shaggy. It’s kneaded sufficient when the floor of the dough ball is clean. See video at X.
4. Batch cooking – Don’t boil greater than 10 – 12 pierogis max in a big pot as a result of they want room to bounce round. To prepare dinner tons, boil 10 – 12 at a time, scoop out and unfold on a tray. Boil the following batch. Then simply earlier than serving, put all of them again into the boiling water for 30 seconds to heat them again up. Drain, then toss within the butter sauce with a splash of the reserved cooking water.
Butter quantity – You’ll want round 1 1/2 tbsp / 25g plus 2 tablespoons of the cooking water for 8 to 10 pierogis. For all 30, you’ll want round 70g / 4 1/2 tbsp butter and 1/3 cup water. You possibly can eyeball it. Butter shouldn’t be an actual science right here!
5. Make forward – Pierogis freeze 100% completely and may be boiled from frozen! Simply add an additional 1 – 2 minutes to the prepare dinner time. Freeze in single layers in an hermetic container. To save lots of area, you possibly can freeze them on a tray then bundle them into an hermetic container.
Lifetime of Dozer
Coming to you in actual time! That is Dozer right now, at a pictures studio for a Christmas particular version of Good Meals Australia with the A-team: Rob Palmer (photographer), Emma Knowles (meals stylist), Theresa Klein (picture chef). Who ever imaged a reduction canine would expertise such issues!!
