Polish Pierogi

A tasty recipe, easy to prepare.

While on the Erasmus exchange in Germany, I met a Polish guy and we became friends immediately. Since our cultures are incredibly different, especially when it comes to food, we decided to show each other some of the typical dishes from our countries.

The term "pierogi" is usually translated in english as "dumplings". It's a very versatile recipe as you can fill it with whatever you like. I'll publish a few options for the filling, the ones that my friend showed me - since I'm vegetarian, none of them includes meat nor fish.

This is how they look like the moment before you eat them.

Let's begin with the ingredients.

For the dough, you'll need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (+ 1 cup for when you roll the dough out)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces sour cream

Now for the fillings, the one with potatoes is my favourite, but sauerkraut are commonly used too.

Filling option 1:

• 2 cups cold smashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped onion or leek
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• you can add some kind of fresh cheese (creamy or spreadable) to give it more consistency and flavour

Filling option 2:

• 1 1/2 cups drained sauerkraut
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion or leek
• Salt and pepper

I suggest you make the filling before the dough. In fact, if the dough rests too much it will melt. Besides, the filling needs to cool down a bit. For example, my friend told me that many people prepare the fillings the day before, keep them in the fridge and take them out more or less one hour before using them.

To prepare the potato filling, start with melting the butter in a pan. Cook the onion (or the leek) in the same pan until translucent, it will take approximately 5 minutes. Then stir into the mashed potatoes and add salt and pepper. If you want to add the fresh cheese, add it to the mix now.

For the sauerkraut filling the process is similar. Melt the butter completely in a pan, stir in the onion (or the leek) and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and let the whole thing cook for 5 minutes more.

The filling is done.

To make the dough, beat the eggs until smooth and add sour cream. Mix together the flour, baking powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the egg mixture until you get a thick dough. Place it on a slightly floured surface. Roll out the dough until the thickness of a serving dish. Using a glass or a round baking form, cut the dough into many round pieces.

The filling should now be cold enough. Place a spoonful of the filling in the centre of each round piece of dough. Fold over the edges and press them together until they are completely sealed - I recommend using a fork. This way, they're not going to open during the cooking process.

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That's how the pierogi should look before and after placing the filling inside them.

All you have to do now is place a pot full of water on the stove and add salt. Heat up the water until it boils, then put the pierogi in the water for 3-5 minutes. You know they're ready to be taken out of the water when they float to the top.

Put them in a plate like this.

In addition, I like to put leek on top of them.

For doing that, you just have to chop the leek and fry it in a pan until it starts to become golden-ish. It should take approximately 2-3 minutes.

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A slightly less popular but still quite common version of pierogi is the sweet one. They only differ from the classical ones because of the filling. In fact, it is usually made up of fruit such as blueberries, strawberries or blackberries. The only thing you need to do with the fruit is chop it a little, while the process for the dough remains exactly the same. Sweet pierogi are usually served with whipped cream and icing sugar. Personally I like the ones with blueberries more, because they are slightly less sugary then the others. Sweet pierogi can be eaten as a dessert or even as dinner.

As a Polish would say, dobry apetyt!

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