Pierogi recipe
I know many of you got appetised by the blog post about food and many are curious about how to make some of the Polish dishes. I’m sure that most of you have already tried them but today it’s your turn to make pierogi!
I must admit that writing this recipe was a little bit challenging. As you may know, many families have their own cherished recipes and it’s really difficult to share a one-size-fits-all recipe without breaking family secrets. Today I propose making one of the classics – pierogi z kapustą i grzybami, but as I said in one of my previous blog posts – you can fill them with almost anything you like. If you’re a meat lover feel free to replace sauerkraut and mushrooms with minced meat, I’m sure you’re going to like them!
Disclaimer: I come from a family where every meal is made strictly na oko (by eyeball) – therefore it was quite hard to come up with the right proportions but I did my best. Don’t blame me if there’s too much filling or too much dough – there’s always a workaround, be creative and have fun with it!
Ingredients:
Dough:
250g flour
warm water
1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
200 g of sauerkraut
100g mushrooms
half onion
salt and pepper to taste
Making the dough:
Here I’m giving you the most basic recipe – some add eggs to the dough, my grandmother always adds a little bit of milk to make them softer – you’ll need to figure it out yourself! Similarly, some use cold water, and some like it warm – try different methods each time to see what works best for you.
First of all, take 250g of flour (keep some more at hand in case you need it), add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it well. Start adding water – a little at a time and keep mixing slowly but steadily. As you’ve noticed I didn’t tell you how much water you need – here’s my secret: the flour will tell you how much water is needed, just be patient and observe. When flour absorbs all the water you should get a not-sticky, pliable, soft dough – if it’s sticky, add a little more flour and keep kneading, if it’s too dry – add just a tiny little bit of water and keep working the dough. You may use the dough right away, if you want to use it a bit later (after making the filling) remember to cover it – this way it won’t dry.
Making the filling:
It’s very easy to make the filling – simply chop finely the sauerkraut and add chopped mushrooms – myself I often use champignons but you may use anything you like, a handful of dried mushrooms (if you use dry mushrooms make sure to soak them before!) will add an extra kick to the filling. Stir fry the sauerkraut and mushroom mix with a bit of oil and finely chopped onion, season with salt and pepper and you’re good to go!
Putting everything together:
Now it’s probably the most challenging part – you need to roll the dough with a rolling pin until it’s thin – it shouldn’t be too thick, otherwise, you risk that your pierogi won’t cook properly, it shouldn’t be too thin either, otherwise they may break. When the dough is rolled thin take a glass or a mug to cut circles from the dough. One circle will make one pieròg. Put the filling (not too little and not too much – pierogi are all about doing it the middle way!) in the centre of the circle and fold it. Half a tablespoon of filling should do the job. Press the edges of the circle together and make sure they stick well (otherwise they will open) – here you go, your first pieròg is ready! Of course, many skilled pierogi makers have their particular ways of closing the dumplings, but for first-timers, a simple edge is just enough. When you’ve made all your dumplings throw them directly into boiling water (with a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil – this way they don’t stick) – let them boil until they start floating on the surface, then allow 3-5 minutes and they’re ready! Smacznego!
