Verenika Recipes

BASIC RUSSIAN VARENIKI OR PELMENI DOUGH (RUSSIAN PIEROGI)

Steps:

• Whisk together egg and sour cream until well combined.
• Whisk in 1 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water.
• Using a spatula, mix in four, 1 cup at a time.
• Place the dough onto a floured surface. Using a food scarper, knead the dough by turning and folding it with the food scraper. Dust the dough with flour as you need it until it is soft and doesn't stick to your hands (you'll need around 1 cup more flour). Knead for 6 to 8 minutes. Don't add too much flour or the dough will become hard to work with.
• Place the dough under a bowl and let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest covered with plastic wrap.
• Form your chunk of dough into a log and cut off small pieces, one at a time. Pieces should be a little larger than a gumball. Dust your rolling pin and cutting board with flour and roll out a piece of dough until it is 1/8" thick and 3" diameter.
• Fill these circles with the desired filling (potatoes, cherries, blueberries or meat). Fold the dough over the filling to form a crescent and seal the edges tightly with your fingers. If making pelmeni (meat filling), pinch the two edges together to form a "diaper" shape. Place the finished pierogis on a cutting board dusted with flour until ready to boil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. As you finish the first batch of pierogies, place them in boiling water. After they float to the top, cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Drizzle the pierogies with melted butter.
• Repeat steps 7 through 9 with the rest of the dough.

VARENIKI

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium heat, stirring regularly until they are golden brown, then drain them of their oil and place on plate lined with paper towel.
• Peel and boil the potatoes in a large amount of lightly salted water.
• Drain the potatoes using a large skimmer and keep the boiling water for cooking.
• Place the cooked potatoes in a large bowl and, using a potato masher, mash the potatoes, gradually adding the boiling milk. Add the butter and, optionally, a little boiling water from the potatoes and mix until a slightly firm consistency is obtained.
• Add the fried onions and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter.
• Fry the onion over medium heat for 1 minute then add the sugar.
• Cook over low to medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside in a warm place for serving.
• Combine sifted flour, salt, eggs, milk and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Knead a homogeneous dough. Cover and let stand 30 minutes, away from heat.
• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll out each piece of dough to a thickness of ⅛ inch (3 mm).
• Using a cookie cutter, cut circles about 3 inches (7 cm) in diameter.
• Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle of dough, fold them in half to form a semi-circle and pinch the edges with wet hands.
• Heat a large amount of boiling salted water in a casserole dish.
• Immerse the vareniki in simmering water and cook them for 3 minutes.
• Drain.
• Place the boiled vareniki in a bowl or deep dish.
• Sprinkle with fried onions, salt lightly, pepper, and mix gently.
• Finally sprinkle with chopped spring onion.

KARTOFFEL AND VERENIKA

Steps:

• Combine egg yolks and muffin mix and knead well. The mixture should be a smooth dough consistency.
• In a medium saucepan, cook the onions in vegetable oil until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain the onions, reserving the oil and the onions separately.
• In a mixing bowl, mix mashed potatoes, 4 tablespoons of the onion flavored oil, salt, and pepper, to taste.
• With rolling pin, roll dough to 1/8-inch thick, and cut into 2-inch square shaped pieces. Add dollop of potato filling to center, close the 4 corners of the dough, and pinch shut.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Kartoffel and Verenika and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain.
• To serve, sprinkle with sauteed onions and croutons. Top with sour cream.

GLUMS WARENEKI (COTTAGE CHEESE PEROGIES)

Steps:

• Put milk, eggs (beaten), salt, and flour in a mixer, and mix on low speed until a dough is formed. Continue adding flour until dough is tough and no longer sticky. If your dough is getting too tough for your mixer, continue to knead by hand while adding more flour. Once you have a nice firm dough, cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
• Add dry curd cottage cheese, heavy cream, egg, and salt and pepper to a bowl and mix with spoon/fork. Roll out a portion of the dough on a flat surface (about 1/8"-1/4" thick), and cut out circles (or squares if you prefer). Put about 1 teaspoon of cottage cheese in the middle of a circle, fold, and pinch together to seal the perogy. Place finished perogies on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Perogies can either be boiled right away, or frozen and bagged to be saved for a later day. Boil perogies for approximately 8 minutes, or until done. Serve and enjoy!

VARENIKI (RUSSIAN-STYLE POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• For the filling: Saute onions with oil in a pan until softened and brown.
• Grate warm potato into a bowl and add the sauteed onion, salt and pepper. Mix together to evenly distribute ingredients into a mash-like mixture.
• For the dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Add flour and salt to the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer and slowly mix. Add water and oil. Mix completely. Remove dough and work into a roll, then a log shape.
• Slice a thin piece of dough and roll into a thin 4-inch round. Place 1 tablespoon potato mixture in the center of the dough circle, then fold circle into a half-moon and seal the edges. Place on the lined baking sheet. Fold over the edge of the dumpling, like a pot sticker. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to hold their shape.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dumplings; they will rise to the top once they are finished cooking.
• For the garnish: Caramelize onions in some oil in a frying pan until golden brown and crispy, 5 minutes. Plate dumplings and lay caramelized onions on top with salt, pepper and sour cream.

VERENIKA HAM GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix flour with the sour cream.
• Add half and half cream and ham.
• Cook over medium heat until slighty thickened, Stirring contantly.
• Serve over fried verenika.
• May add ham base for flavor.

COTTAGE CHEESE VARENIKI RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Dough: First mix flour with the salt. Combine the egg, milk and cottage cheese in blender. Stir combination into the flour and salt and knead to make a soft dough. Cover and let the dough stand for 10 minutes. Filling: In a bowl, combine the cottage cheese with the egg, and season to taste with salt. The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape in a spoon. Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board. Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter. Put a round of dough on the palm of your hand. Place a spoonful of the cheese filling on the dough, fold it over to form a half circle, and press the edges together with your fingers. The edges should be free of filling. Be sure that the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out. Place the vareniki on a floured board or a kitchen towel (don't crowd them), and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying. Drop a few vareniki at a time into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. Stir very gently with a wooden spoon to separate the vareniki and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue boiling for 3 or 4 minutes. Vareniki are ready when they are well puffed. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter, and toss very gently to coat them evenly with butter. Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them. The traditional accompaniment is sour cream. Sour cream, may be used in the filling if the cottage cheese is very dry.

VARENIKI (UKRAINIAN FILLED DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend the flour and 1/2 tsp salt. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and the oil through the feed tube. then pour in the water, in a slow steady stream, until the dough forms a ball around the blade. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover with a cotton towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. Keep one ball covered with the towel while working with the other ball. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a very thin sheet, about 1/16 inch thick, making sure it doesn't tear. With a round cookie cutter, cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter. Gather the scraps into a ball and set aside, covered.
• Have a bowl with the egg white near you. Place a heaping tsp of the desired filling in the middle of each circle. Fold the dough over the filling to form a semi-circle. Brush the edges with the egg white and press the edges firmly together with the tines of a fork to seal. Place the vareniki as they are made on a lightly floured large baking sheet about 1 inch apart and keep covered with a damp cloth.
• When you have finished making this batch of vareniki, roll out the 2nd ball of dough and make a second batch. Add the leftover scraps left from the first batch, knead into a ball, and roll out for a final batch of vareniki.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium so the water simmers and carefully lower half the vareniki into the water. Boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, until they rise to the surface, and are cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the vareniki to a colander and drain thoroughly. Transfer to a deep serving bowl and toss with half the butter.
• Cook the rest of the vareniki in the same way.
• Makes 50 to 55 vareniki. (Serves 4 people as an entree.).
• For the Potato Filling:.
• Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Add the sauteed onion along with the cooking fat and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then use to fill the vareniki.
• For the Cheese Filling:.
• In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Use as a filling for the vareniki.
• For the Sauerkraut Filling:.
• Rinse and squeeze thoroughly to dry the sauerkraut.
• Saute the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it renders its fat. Remove the bacon and reserve. Drain off all but 2 Tbsp fat.
• Add the onion to the skillet and saute, stirring frequently over medium heat until nocely browned, almost 15 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the sauerkraut, and saute, stirring, until softened and cooked throughout, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, and broth. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before using to fill the vareniki. Use the reserved bacon as a topping.
• For the Cherry Filling:.
• If you are using the fresh cherries, mix them with the 1/2 cup sugar and leave in a warm place for several hours until they begin to give off their juice. Strain the juice. You should have about 2 cups. If less, add canned or bottled cherry juice.
• If you are using canned cherries, drain them thoroughly and reserve 2 cups of the syrup. Mix the canned cherrieswith the 1/4 cup sugar. Reserve several cherries for garnish.
• In a small saucepan, bring the reserved juice or syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil until reduced to about 1 cup. Remove from the heat, stir in the liqueur, and let cool to room temperature. Reserve to pour over the filled and colled vareniki.
• Toss the cherries with the cornstarch. fill each vareniki with 2 fresh or 4 canned cherries, sealing especially tightly.

VERENIKA WITH HAM GRAVY

Steps:

• In a blender, combine cottage cheese, 2 eggs and ground black pepper to taste. Cover and blend until smooth, or beat with an electric mixer until smooth; Set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, milk powder, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a small bowl, beat together 2 eggs, water and oil; combine with flour mixture.
• On a floured surface, knead dough about 10 times or until smooth. Divide dough in half and roll out each portion to a 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 4 inch round cutter, cut out rounds of dough.
• Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. Moisten the edge and fold over to form a half moon shape; pinch to seal.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half of the dumplings and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
• While the dumplings are cooking, prepare the gravy. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in ham, and cook until ham is light brown. Add 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir. Pour in milk all at once, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Serve over the dumplings.

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.

DUTCH KITCHEN HAM GRAVY FOR VERENIKA, SPAETZLE, EGG NOODLES, ETC

Steps:

• Place the ham in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat for a few minutes to get the flavor and juices out.
• Pour in the buttermilk, evaporated milk, sour cream, and ham base.
• Heat through, but do not bring to a boil.
• Mix the cornstarch (I start with a tablespoon or two) with cold water and stir into the gravy. Keep stirring for a minute or two to keep it from settling at the bottom. Repeat this until it is the consistency you want.

VERENIKA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except the noodles.
• In a four quart slow cooker, place half of the ingredient mixture. Layer noodles over the mixture in the cooker. it is ok to break them to fit.
• Cover noodles with remaining mixture.
• Cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve with salad, peas and bread.

VERENIKA (OR VERENKI) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Boil frozen egg noodles as per package directions, drain and place in bottom of greased casserole dish - I use 9 x 11 inch pan.
• Mix drained cottage cheese with the two eggs, salt and pepper.
• Layer over the noodles.
• Add spooonfuls of sour cream over the top of the casserole.
• Saute chopped onions and ham until onions are tender.
• Stir in to the cream gravy and pour on top of the casserole.
• Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.