Potato And Mushroom Pierogies With Roasted Apples Recipes

VARENIKI (RUSSIAN PIEROGI) WITH POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and mash; season with salt and pepper.
• Combine flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl while potatoes are cooking. Stir sour cream and baking soda together in a second bowl. Add water to flour mixture and blend in, followed by sour cream mixture. Knead into a smooth dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook onions until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add to mashed potatoes.
• Divide dough into 4 portions and roll each portion into a 1 1/2-inch thick rope. Cut ropes into small 1/2-inch pieces. Press each dough piece into a small flat circle and place 1 teaspoon of potato filling in the center. Fold dough over into a half-moon shape and seal edges.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the vareniki in batches and cook until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain.

MUSHROOM-APPLE PIEROGIES

Steps:

• Make the pierogi dough: Whisk the applesauce, vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl. Put the flour in another bowl and stir in the applesauce mixture. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, dusting with flour as needed. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towellined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook over high heat, stirring until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 more minutes.
• Stir in the sauerkraut, thyme, paprika, 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes, then uncover and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Chop the bacon and add to the skillet with the remaining 1/4 cup applesauce and salt to taste.
• Make the pierogies: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Roll out half of the dough to less than 1/8 inch thick (keep the remaining dough covered with plastic wrap). Cut into rounds using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter or a drinking glass. Top each round with 1 tablespoon of the mushroom filling, brush the edges with the beaten egg and fold in half; crimp with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Boil the pierogies in batches until tender, about 5 minutes, then transfer to the skillet using a slotted spoon and toss with the butter until browned. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

POTATO, MUSHROOM, ONION & CHEESE PIEROGIES & ..........

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Mix the 4 eggs, butter or margarine, sour cream and salt together in a bowl with whisk.
• Sift the flour onto a flat work surface and make a well in the center, pour the wet ingredients into the crater.
• Stir the mixture with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well until a soft dough forms.
• Squeeze the dough with your hands, if it's sticky, add a bit of flour, if it's not pliable, add a couple of drops of water.
• Knead the dough, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Gather the dough into a ball and cover it with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so to rest.
• Filling:.
• Cook the potato cubes in boiling salted water until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
• Drain and then mash them with a ricer or regular "old" potato masher while they are still hot; set them aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.
• Melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine in large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the onions, mushrooms and thyme, saute for a few minutes to soften the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook until the vegetables are broken dry and almost dry, then pour in cream & cheese; stir to incorporate.
• Remove the pan from the heat; take out sprigs of thyme, and scrape the mushroom & cheese mixture into the potatoes, mix well to incorporate the ingredients.
• Make sure the filling is not too hot or it will start to cook the dough, causing it to sog.
• Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter.
• Take 1/2 of the dough(leaving the rest covered so it doesn't dry out while you work) and roll it out into a thin circle, about 1/8" thick.
• Using a 3" round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2" border.
• Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash and brush it on the edges of the circle.
• Fold the dough over 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle and seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
• Lightly tap the bottoms of the dumpling on the counter to make it flat.
• Repeat with the remaining half of dough and filling.
• You should make about 35 pierogies; put 1/2 of them in the freezer to keep on hand (they are better than the ones you find in the freezer section of the grocery store.).
• Coat a large saute pan (that has a tight fitting lid) with vegetable oil and place over medium heat.
• Lay the pierogies in the pan (you may have to do this in batches) and fry them for a couple of minutes until they start to crisp and brown on both sides.
• Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan to let the pierogies steam; when the water evaporates, the pierogies should be cooked and crisp.
• Arrange the pierogies on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve with roasted apples, sour cream, butter with caramelized onions, and/or any of the following:.
• Roasted apples:.
• 3 Gala apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
• 3 Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
• 1 lemon juiced.
• 2 cinnamon sticks.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar "splenda".
• Pinch of salt.
• 2 Tablespoons butter.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spread the apples out in a casserole pan and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar or splenda, salt and butter.
• Bake until the apples are roasted and "NOT" mushy, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the apples with peirogies, either hot or chilled.
• Caramelized Onions & Sour Cream:.
• 4-5 large onions, sliced thin.
• 3-4 tablespoons butter or margarine.
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar, to caramelize - no subs.
• Sour cream, to serve on the side.
• Melt butter in large saute pan and then add onions & sugar; saute for about 15 minutes or until onions are soft and a nice golden color.
• Serve onions with pierogies and sour cream, as little or all you want.
• "Maple" Cured Bacon & Melted Butter:
• 1/2 lb of "maple" cured bacon or turkey bacon.
• 4-5 tablespoons butter.
• Parsley, chopped fine - garnish.
• Saute bacon in frying pan or microwave oven.
• When crispy and drained; crumble into little pieces.
• Melt butter in a saucepan or in microwave oven, before it turns brown, remove and sprinkle with parsley.
• Sprinkle melted butter with parsley and bacon on hot pierogies.
• Melted Butter & Green Onions:.
• 4-5 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 green onions, chopped fine (green & white parts).
• Melt butter in saucepan or microwave, remove before it browns.
• Sprinkle with green onions and spread it over the warm pierogies.
• Use any and all combinations with these.
• There are too many variations for me to list but I have listed a few that my family enjoys. Hope you do too!

POTATO AND MUSHROOM GRATIN

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, garlic, 3 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf over low-medium heat. Heat to just under a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while preparing the rest of the dish.
• Coat a skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add remaining thyme and bay leaf. Saute the mushrooms and leeks for 5 minutes to evaporate the liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
• Butter a large casserole dish. Arrange 1/3 of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly. Season the potatoes with chopped parsley, chives, salt and pepper. Top potatoes with half of the mushroom mixture. Repeat layering 1/3 of the potatoes and remaining mushroom mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes on top. Press the layers down with a spatula to condense. Remove the solids from the infused milk and pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle the surface with cheese. Cover the pan with foil and place in a preheated 375 degrees F oven. Bake for 1 hour until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and bake for 15 additional minutes until cheese melts and gratin is golden around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish with fresh parsley.

PIEROGIES WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring enough water to cover the pierogies to a boil. Place pierogies in boiling water and cook through. Remove pierogies from heat and strain. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir until they are coated with butter. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and saute until the onions are soft and the mushrooms begin to give up their liquid. Remove the skillet from heat and add the sour cream and stir until just combined.
• In another skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the cooked pierogies to the skillet and saute until browned. Transfer the pierogies to a serving platter and spoon the mushroom sauce on top.