There's Nothing Like Homemade

One of the things you will always find in my freezer is pierogis - they are inexpensive, easy, quick and just plain good. I don't think I have ever had the authentic homemade kind before, and a few weeks ago, I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on the Food Network which featured homemade pierogis. They looked amazing!

The I remebered I saw a recipe for Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogis on a blog that I love, Brown Eyed Baker. As the name suggests, she's a great baker, so I was a little intimidated by the recipe...plus I'm pretty new to making dough. But I followed the recipe almost exactly (I only made slight changes to the filling), and they were so good. This is definately one of the more time-consuming and advanced things I have made, but so worth it.

I served them alongside grilled turkey Reuben sandwiches, with sauteed onions and sour cream. I froze the remaining pierogi on a baking sheet (to keep from sticking to each other), and stored them in freezer bags. I look forward to making them again and experimenting with different fillings.

Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogies
Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from Columbus Foodie

Yield: About 2 dozen large pierogi

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
Butter and onions for sauteing

Ingredients for filling of your choice (Potato & Cheese filling recipe below)

Pierogi Dough

To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the ½ cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes).

You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Prepare the Pierogies:

Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or counter top until 1/16″ thick. Cut circles of dough (2″ for small pierogies and 3-3½″ for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the pierogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute sliced onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling

1 lb red potatoes I used Russet potatoes
¼ of a large onion, finely chopped
2 oz. cheddar cheese, finely grated I used about 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper
I sauteed 2 cloves minced garlic with the onions and butter
I added 1.5 tsp dried parsley
I added 2 tsp of half & half

Peel and boil potatoes until soft. While the potatoes are boiling, saute onion in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauteed onions and grated cheddar cheese, adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1″ balls.

Homemade Pierogi Tips:

If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.

If you don’t want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.