Pierogi's Aren't Italian . . .

 

So imagine my surprise when the first request I got when I started my blog again was for pierogi's. . . and not just any pierogi's, my mothers recipe. Unfortunately, I don't know my moms recipe, I watched her make them many times - but aside from knowing dough and potato filling, I was clueless. . . so I set off on the search for a recipe that sounded like hers and figured I would give it a try.

The recipe I went with was not credited with an author . . . but whoever you are, thank you. The recipe was almost identical to the one my mom used to make and I hope you don't mind me sharing!

This recipe makes about 3 dozen small pierogi's.

Ingredients:


Dough:

    * 4 cups of flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 2 large eggs
    * 1 cup sour cream
    * 1/2 stick butter, softened and cut into small pieces

Filling:

    * 3 lbs. of potatoes
    * 1 cup of cheddar cheese
    * 1/2 cup of parmesan
    * 1/2 stick butter
    * 1 cup of milk
    * 1 cup of sour cream

Other:

    * Butter and onions for sauteeing

Dough:

Mix together flour and salt. Beat the eggs, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of it's stickiness (about 5 minutes or so). Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight (dough can be kept up to 2 days).

Roll the dough on a floured board or counter top until it's about 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (about 3-4" in diameter) with a cookie cutter, drinking glass - or whatever you have, anything goes.

Filling:

Boil the potatoes until soft - around 25 minutes or so. Drain and add butter, milk, sour cream and cheese and mash. Wow! that was easy. . . .

Place a small ball of filling on each dough and fold the dough over, forming a half moon. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork. If the dough isn't sticking, wet it slightly.

Boil the pierogis a few at a time in a large pot of water. They're done when they float to the top (about 3-5 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute sliced onions in butter in a large pan until the onions are soft. Add the piergies and pan fry until golden and lightly crispy. Serve - you can top with sour cream if preferred!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!!!

 Note: You can fill the pierogies with anything you want. Mom always used the potato and cheese variety so that's where I went. Also, you can refrigerate the pierogies for several days or freeze them for months. They are kind of time consuming to make - so if you are in the pierogie mood, make a bunch and freeze!