I don’t know if you have ever had a chance to try Polish pierogi, but they have become one of my favorite winter comfort foods.
I know it doesn’t look as the best beautiful pierogie but they are incredibly tasty. Crunchy, sweet and rich!
Wanted to try this for a long time and Mission accomplished. I have made this vegan by using vegan butter and vegan cheese. You can make it either way. Added caramelized onion for extra savory flavor and sweetness.
The original pierogi is made using just potatoes and I made it with carrot.Russians call their dish pielmieni and in Poland, they call them as Ruskie (which is what we call them in Poland).
Storing it: You can boil them now, then seal up and freeze that you wont be eating right away. When you are ready for them, thaw and cook them in butter.
Tip: Seal it tight and press the edges super tight together.
Side: It tastes great with sour cream.
- Dough:
- All purpose flour – 500g
- Warm Water – 230 ml
- Salt – 1.5tsp
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp
- Filling:
- Potatoes – 600g
- Cheese - 1 cup (vegan cheese if vegan)
- Salt – 1.5 tsp
- Onion – 1 big, chopped finely
- Ground pepper – 1 tsp
- Grated nutmeg – 2 pinches (optional)
- Fry:
- Butter – 1 tbsp (vegan butter if vegan)
- Garnish: Chopped chives and caramelized onions.
- Filling:
- In a pan, heat olive oil; gently fry the chopped onion until they are golden brown.
- Place the potato into a medium pot and cover with water. [You can use pressure cooker or instant cooker. ]Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Allow cooking until the potato is fork tender, about 15 minutes. Don't overcook it.
- Drain the potato into a colander and return it to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and stir in the milk, pepper, cheese, and nutmeg and caramelized onions. And salt.
- Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, olive oil and salt. Mix well and add water slowly. Once combined roughly, start using your hands to knead. Add more water if you can’t bring it together. If you think you added more water, bring in more flour.
- Kneaded dough will take 5-10 mins and set it aside. After kneading the dough should become more smooth and elastic. But not sticky!
- Cover and rest it for 30 minutes.
- After dough had been rested, add some flour to the rolling surface, grab some dough and roll it out into 1-2 mm thin surface. Make it as thin as you can, tastier the dumplings.
- With upside down glass, cut out circles in the dough.
- Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each circle, fold the circle in half and press the edges of the semi-circle together with your fingers.
- Try to finish dumplings on a lightly floured surface and cover them with a damp kitchen towel while making the rest so that they don’t dry out.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pierogies (work in batches if it gets too crowded). Cook the pierogies for 3-4 minutes, until they float, removing each one with a slotted spoon and transferring to a plate as it begins to float, fish them out with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate. Put a new batch in until you have cooked them all.
- OPTIONAL but THIS IS MY FAVORITE! - Heat up a little olive oil / butter in a pan and place the cooled-down (they should be cold!) dumplings in the pan. Turn them after they’ve browned on one side.
