Pierogi Potato And Mushroom Sauerkraut Recipes

PIEROGI WITH POTATO AND SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• To prepare your pierogi dough, add the flour and salt to a large bowl, and whisk to blend; pour in the water as well as the whisked egg and the olive oil, and using a wooden spoon, mix together until a shaggy mass forms; use your hands to then gather up the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then bring it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it for a couple of minutes until smooth and soft, sprinkling with a bit of additional flour if too sticky.
• Cut the dough ball in half (for easier rolling) and wrap each half in plastic wrap, and set aside at room temp for at least 1 hour.
• Prepare your filling by combining all of the filling ingredients in a medium-size bowl, seasoning to taste; set aside.
• Prepare a large baking sheet (or two) with wax paper dusted with flour, and have that ready for your assembled pierogi.
• To prepare the pierogi, place one of the dough ball halves on your floured work surface, and roll the dough nice and thin, roughly 1/8" thick; then, using a 3 1/4" cutter, cut as many circles from the dough as you can, discarding the scraps (you can re-roll the scraps and cut them out, but they may yield tougher pierogi.)
• To fill, add a slightly heaping teaspoonful of filling to the center of each dough circle, and seal the pierogi by folding the dough over to create a semi-circle shape; press sealed, and using a fork or your fingers, go around to make sure the dough is pressed closed, creating a little crimp.
• Place the the prepared pierogi onto your prepared flour-dusted wax paper, and repeat with the other half of the dough/filling ingredients.
• Once all the pierogi are filled, bring a pot of salted water to the boil, then working in batches, add some pierogi into the pot; cook the pierogi for roughly 3 to 4 minutes, or until they float for about 1-2 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon to hold on a platter.
• To fry and serve, add about 2 tablespoons of butter to heavy bottom pan, and once hot, add in a batch or pierogi, frying them for a few minutes on both sides until golden, and serve topped with crispy bacon and/or onions, if desired.

PIEROGI (POTATO AND MUSHROOM SAUERKRAUT)

Steps:

• Make the Caramelized Onions
• Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, over low heat. Add the oil and the onions and toss the onions to coat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, leaving a little gap for steam to escape. Stir occasionally, every 5 minutes or so. Onions should turn amber, but not burn, although a couple of darker spots are fine.
• Remove the cover and turn the heat up just a bit, to a medium setting. Stir often for 10 more minutes. Onions should become a darker amber, and some of the moisture should evaporate.
• Make the Potato Filling
• In a medium-size pot, cover potatoes in water. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for about 20 more minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
• Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the onions in oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes. Turn the heat off but continue to stir occasionally because they could still burn from the hot pan. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them well and add them to the pan with the onions. Just mash them right in there with a potato masher; that way you are sure to get all the oil, plus you save a dish. Add the salt and pepper. Make sure potatoes are mashed well and fluffy. Set aside to cool a bit.
• Make the Mushroom Sauerkraut Filling
• You know I don't usually advise cooking with margarine, but I really love it with the mushrooms here, I think because growing up the mushrooms I ate were really buttery. Anyway, this filling is really simple. In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
• Before adding the sauerkraut to the pan, give it a squeeze over the sink to get out as much water as you can. It's important to do this so that your pierogi don't get all wet. You'll need to add the sauerkraut to the pan a cup at a time. Add to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, cooking out any excess water. Season with the pepper. The filling shouldn't look dry (a small amount of water is okay), but you shouldn't be able to slosh around in it in rain boots.
• Make the Dough
• This is really the brunt of the work in this recipe. If you're like me, you have limited counter space and so rolling out dough can be a hassle. I make the dough last because the mess becomes much more manageable when you don't have to prep on the counter afterwards. It also gives your filling some time to cool. So make sure you clean up after your filling making and get someone to do the dishes for you. I find that a serene counter makes all the difference in dough making.
• Pour the water and oil into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, keeping one cup aside. Use a fork to stir the flour in, and as it starts to come together, use your hands to knead until a loose dough forms (about 3 minutes).
• Sprinkle your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead. Add the reserved cup of flour a little bit at a time, working it into the dough, until it is very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If it's too sticky, you can add a little bit more fl our and knead it in, sometimes up to 1/4 cup extra. Conversely, if you get a good-feeling, smooth, elastic dough with less than the extra cup of fl our, then that's okay, too.
• Now we roll the dough out, and also bring a salted pot of water to boil-the largest pot you've got-for boiling the pierogi.
• Divide the dough in half and make sure your counter is clean and sprinkled with a dusting of flour to prevent sticking. Roll half the dough out to about 1/16 of an inch thick, which is to say, very thin but not see-through. I roll it into an 18 x 10-inch rectangle, but as long as you have the thinness going, the shape doesn't matter so much. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of flour.
• Now we're going to make circles. I use the top of a glass that is 3 1/2 inches in diameter, but somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 inches is perfect. Use a glass or a cookie cutter. Have ready a lightly floured plate to place the finished circles on, and go ahead and fi rmly press your glass or cookie cutter into the dough, as close together as you can. Pull together the excess dough and set aside. Place circles on the floured plate and transfer to the fridge while you repeat with the other half of the dough. Combine the excess dough and see if you can get a few more wrappers out of the deal.

PIEROGI (POTATO AND MUSHROOM SAUERKRAUT)

Steps:

• Preheat a skillet over low heat. Add the oil and the onions and toss the onions to coat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, leaving a little gap for steam to escape.
• In a medium-size pot, cover potatoes in water. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for about 20 more minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
• When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them well and mash. Add the onions.
• In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 7 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.
• Before adding the sauerkraut to the pan, give it a squeeze over the sink to get out as much water as you can. Add sauerkraut to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, cooking out any excess water. Season with the pepper. The filling shouldn't look dry (a small amount of water is ok).
• Mix dough ingredients and knead until soft and smooth. Roll out dough and cut out 3 1/2 - 4 inch circles, or make a log about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut off 1 inch sections to roll into a circle.
• Put 1-2 Tablespoons of either the potato filling or the sauerkraut filling on the dough and fold over. Pinch to seal. Boil for 4-5 minutes till the pierogi floats.
• You can eat it like this or fry in butter which is how I like them! Add a dollup of sour cream if you like.

PIEROGIES WITH POTATO AND SAUERKRAUT FILLING

Steps:

• Prepare the sauerkraut filling by melting the butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until light brown, about 20 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate to cool.
• For the mashed potato filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook over medium low heat until light brown, about 20 minutes. Stir into the mashed potatoes, and season with salt and white pepper.
• To make the dough, beat together the eggs, oil and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, wrap half in plastic wrap then roll out the other half to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water or egg wash, fold over, and press together with a fork or pinch with fingers to seal.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a very slow boil add 6-8 perogies at a time (do not crowd them) and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove and drain.
• Serve with melted butter and carmelized onions spooned over the top.
• Or serve with horsesradish and sour cream.

PIEROGI WITH SAUERKRAUT AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sauerkraut, and cook until warmed through.
• Cook pierogi according to package instructions, and serve over sauerkraut and mushrooms.