Basic Dough:
2 c Flour
2 sm Eggs ; or 1 large egg
Few spoonfuls lukewarm water
Fillings:
–Cheese:
2 Egg yolks
1 tb Butter
1 lb Pot cheese; mashed
— or farmer cheese
1 ds Salt
1 tb Sugar
3/4 c Raisins ; optional
–Potato:
2 lb Potatoes
1/2 Onion; minced
1 tb Butter
Salt and pepper
2 tb Cottage cheese ; optional
-(2 to 3)
–or farmer cheese
Drawn butter and Parmesan
-or bread crumbs
For topping
–Cabbage:
2 Small head cabbage; or 1
-large
2 tb Dried mushrooms; cooked
Salt and pepper
Topping of drawn butter
-with bread crumbs
Or fried minced onion
–Fruit:
Blueberries
Blackberries
Cherries
Dough: Mix flour, eggs and water and work dough until firm. Divide in 2
parts and roll each piece into a thin sheet on a floured board. Arrange
suffing by the spoonful along one edge of a piece of dough, 2 to 3 inches
from edge. Fold over and cut out in shape of semi-circles with a pastry
cutter or a glass. Press edges of dough together. Repeat until all the
dough and filling have been used up. If necessary, reroll leftover dough
and repeat. This is a fast way of making the pockets. Cook in boiling water
like noodles, covered, so that they will steam. In a few minutes, when
pockets rise to the top, they are done. Serve with drawn butter.
Fillings:
Cheese: Cream egg yolks and butter. Combine with cheese, season and mix
thoroughly. For a sweet filling, and sugar and raisins. Fill pockets as
directed above.
Potato: Cook, mash and season potatoes. Fry onion to a light, golden brown
in butter. Combine with mashed potato and season to taste; add cheese if
desired. Mix thoroughly and proceed to fill and cook pockets.
Cabbage: Prepare cabbage as directed for Sweet Cabbage: Cut cabbage into
small sections, core and parboil in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain. Add
1 tbsp butter, onion, and continue cooking until onion is lightly brown.
Add cabbage 3 tbs bouillon and salt and pepper. Simmer, tightly covered,
stirring occasionally, until soft – about 1 hour. Dust with 2 tsp flour
and add 1/2 tsp Maggi extract or Kitchen Bouquet, stir and let simmer
another 5 minutes.
Combine with cabbage, season and use to fill pockets. Cook as directed and
serve drawn butter and bread crumbs or onions.
Fruit: Fruit is an excellent filling if the “pierogi” are to be used as a
summer dish or as dessert. Fill the dough pockets with a spoonful of
berries each, or with 3 or 4 pitted cherries. Press edges tightly and cook
in boiling water as directed. Serve with sour cream and sugar. If sour
cream is omitted, garnish with melted sweet butter.
Yields
6 Servings