Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 small head of cabbage (red or green) or half a large head, cored and chopped
5 oz (or small package) mushrooms, stems removed, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 T olive oil
½ C sauerkraut, drained and chopped
1 bay leaf
Pepper to taste
3 C of wheat flour (all-purpose)
1/2 tsp of salt
3/4 C of boiling water (Can use ¼ cup water ½ cup milk if using sweet filling)
1/4 C of cold water
1/2 tsp of oil
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Directions: |
Directions:
1) In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add bay leaf and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid exuded by ‘shrooms has evaporated. Lower heat if needed so mushrooms don’t burn. Add fresh cabbage and cook until just soft.
2) Remove pan from heat and allow to cool. Remove bay leaf from mixture. Once mixture is cooled to room temperature, add sauerkraut and stir to combine. Taste mixture and add more ‘kraut if more tang is desired. Add pepper to taste.
3) Sift the flour and salt through a sieve into a large mixing bowl to separate any lumps and in order to aerate the flour.
4) While stirring vigorously with a fork, pour ¾ cup of boiling water into the bowl. At this stage, it is normal that lumps of flour will form and surface – crumble them down with the fork. Cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and set aside for about 5 minutes.
5) After 5 min, add a the remaining 1/4 cup of cold water, give it a stir, and crumble down the lumps (if any). Cover the dough with a cotton cloth and set is aside for 15 minutes.
After 15 min, add half a teaspoon of vegetable oil (canola, sunflower or olive oil). Roll up your sleeves – it's time for some work. Knead the pierogi dough until it becomes a smooth and uniform mass, about 5 to 10 minutes, until dough is homogeneous, stretchy and a bit adhesive.
6) Lightly flour a pastry board or the counter. Roll out the dough on a pastry board (or simply on a table) to a thickness of ⅛ “ or 3 millimeters.
Cut circles out of the pierogi dough by using a cookie cutter, egg ring, or glass, so circles are approximately 3” in diameter. Place a Tablespoon of filling in the middle of every circle. Using your finger or a pastry brush, wet half the edge with a little water, fold over dough and seal.
Collect scraps of pierogi dough, knead again, roll out and repeat steps 5-7. You may need to let the dough rest and relax in order to roll it out to ⅛” thickness.
7) At this point you have options. You can boil the pierogi in salted water for 3-4 minutes and serve family style alongside kielbasa and kraut. You can par-boil in salted water 1-2 minutes, then pan-sear in a non-stick for 2 min/side for fried pierogi. Or you can par-boil and freeze for later, simply microwaving/boiling or pan-searing to serve.
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Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Notes on filling: traditional recipes use dried mushrooms which would reduce the liquid when filling, but fresh are generally cheaper and more available. Use either. Traditional recipes also use all kraut, but I don’t want to cook my home-made stuff too much so I adapted. Drain off as much liquid as possible before filling dumplings. Other traditional fillings include: ground meat, potato and cheese, mushrooms and eggs, and fruit and cheese
Notes on dough: Some recipes use eggs or egg yolks, but this is the traditional method and provided by my co-worker Dania whose parents were fresh off the boat and settled in the Polish section of Manchester. I used a food processor rather than a fork last time I made this and YES it works! More clean up but it comes together faster
Notes on Pierogi: I personally serve them like pot-stickers with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, ginger, toasted sesame oil, and scallions or chives. Co-worker Dania confirms this is supremely NOT traditional, but I’m a Canuck so I’m ok breaking with tradition.
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This recipe for Mushroom & Cabbage Pierogi is from