Polish pierogi are considered to be the national dish. One is called pierog and pronounced pye-ROOG, pierogi is the plural word for these little treasures. They can be filled with all sorts of things that can be either sweet or savory.
An un-leavened dough is made, filled, and then dropped into boiling water. Often times pierogi are then fried in butter after being boiled. They are also usually served with sour cream. What you stuff your Polish pierogi with, is totally up to you, but some of the most treasured fillings are mushrooms with sauerkraut, fried onions, mashed potatoes and cheese, minced meat, cabbage, spinach and quark (farmers cheese).
I made these bundles of joy with mushroom, onion and sauerkraut. They were surprisingly easy to make with this handy little dumpling tool, which you can pick up here.
Having the right tools for the job is so helpful, but you certainly can make them by just putting the filling in the middle of the circle, and crimping the edges with a fork. You just want to make sure the edges are tightly sealed before you put them in the water to boil.
Pierogi freeze beautifully as well so feel free to make a large batch by doubling the recipe. Once you make the half circle just freeze individually on a tray and then put in a freezer bag all together. Simply use however many you want when needed by just boiling for an extra minute or two longer than cooking them fresh.
Polish pierogi can be served as a main course or as a side dish which was the case for our International Cuisine feast. We served them along side a roasted duck with apples and potatoes. If you would like other authentic Polish recipes and learn more about this Eastern European country be sure to check out "Our Journey to Poland."
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Polish Pierogi
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm milk
For the filling
- 8 oz sauerkraut
- 4 oz mushrooms champignons chopped finely
- 1/2 small onion chopped finely
- 1 Tablespoon oil
Instructions
Instructions
- Stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture looks crumbly. Add in the eggs then milk and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture holds together.
- Lightly knead in the bowl to smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile you can make the filling:
- Put the sauerkraut in a bowl
- Put the mushroom in a dry skillet over high heat, cover with a lid. Once the mushrooms release the moisture, take off the lid and cook until the water evaporates.
- Add in the oil and onion and saute over low heat for about 10 minutes. Once cool mix together with the sauerkraut
- Roll dough out to ⅛"thickness (you may need to divide the dough in half and roll dough out at a time if your working area is small.)
- Cut out circles using a cup 3" in diameter.
- Place about a heaping teaspoon of filling in the centers and seal pierogi. Transfer to a floured tray and continue to work on the dough rolling out the scraps. (Tip: use a pierogi maker for quick and easy results or you can crimp with a fork.)
- Freeze or boil in water for 3 minutes.
- To cook frozen: Boil in water for 3-4 minutes
- sauté in butter until nicely seared (about 2-3 minutes.)
- Serve with sour cream and garish with some chives
Nutrition