Cottage Cheese Perogies Cheese Buttons Recipes

COTTAGE CHEESE PEROGIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, egg yolks, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and baking powder. Pour in the vegetable oil and cold water, and mix or knead into a smooth dough.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, and cut into 3 inch circles using a glass, can, or cookie cutter. Place a spoonful of the cottage cheese filling onto each circle. Fold in half, and pinch the edges together to seal.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the perogies into the water, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they float. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, and place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain excess water.

HOMEMADE COTTAGE CHEESE PIEROGIES / PEROGIES - THE OLD FASHIONED

Steps:

• Cottage Cheese Filling: Combine the cottage cheese with the egg and season to taste with the salt.
• If the cheese is very dry, an additional egg (or egg yolk) or thick sour cream can be added.
• Mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl.
• Add the egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
• Knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth.
• Caution: Too much kneading will toughen the dough.
• Divide the dough into 2 parts.
• Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
• Prepare the filling.
• The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.
• Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board.
• Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter, or as most old-world grandmothers did, with the open end of a glass.
• Put the round in the palm ofyour hand.
• Place a spoonful of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with the fingers.
• The edges should be free of filling.
• Be sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.
• Place the pierogi on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
• COOKING: Drop a few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water.
• Do not attempt to cook too many at a time.
• Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Continue boiling for 3-4 minutes.
• The cooling period will depend upon the size you made it, the thickness of the dough and the filling.
• Pierogies will be ready when they are puffed.
• Remove them with a perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly.
• Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter to prevent them from sticking.
• Cover and keep them hot until all are cooked.
• Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them.
• Top with melted butter- chopped crisp bacon and/or chopped onions lightly browned in butter.
• REHEATING: One of the great things about pierogies, is that they can be made in large quantities, refrigerated, frozen and reheated without loss of quality.
• Many prefer reheated pierogies as compared to freshly boiled ones.
• To re-heat, you can 1) pan fry pierogies in butter or bacon fat until they are light in color or 2) heat the pierogies in the top of a double boiler or in the oven until they are hot and plump or 3) deep fry them.

POTATO-COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING (PIEROGI FILLING)

Steps:

• Cook onion in butter or margarine till tender. Combine with potatoes, dill, salt and dash pepper. Stir in cottage cheese.

LAZY PEROGIES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling, stir in the lasagna noodles, about 3 or 4 at a time, and return to a boil. Cook the noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes per batch. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, and lay the cooked noodles flat on waxed paper or aluminum foil while you finish cooking the rest of the noodles.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x11-inch baking dish.
• Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes with the milk and butter until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon of onion salt, and season with salt and pepper. Set the mashed potatoes aside to cool. When cooled, mix with shredded Cheddar cheese.
• Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Place the onion into the hot bacon fat, and cook and stir until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Break the bacon into pieces with a spoon or spatula, and set the bacon and onion aside. Mix the cottage cheese, egg, and 1 teaspoon of onion salt in a bowl.
• To make the casserole, place 3 lasagna noodles into the prepared baking dish, and spread with the cottage cheese mixture in an even layer. Top the cottage cheese with 3 more lasagna noodles, then spread potato-cheese mixture in a layer. Top the mashed potato layer with 3 more noodles, then spread the bacon and onion into an even layer on top of the casserole.
• Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot, about 30 minutes. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before serving.