**Pierogi: A Taste of Poland with Potato and Cheese Filling**
Pierogi, the delectable dumplings that originated in Poland, are culinary treasures that have captured the hearts and taste buds of many. These halbmond-shaped pockets of dough are traditionally filled with a savory mixture of mashed potatoes, cheese, and sometimes additional ingredients like sauerkraut, mushrooms, or meat. The result is a symphony of flavors and textures that can be enjoyed boiled, pan-fried, or baked. This article offers a collection of delectable pierogi recipes, each showcasing unique variations of the classic potato and cheese filling. From traditional to modern interpretations, these recipes will guide you in creating this beloved Polish dish in your own kitchen. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey and savor the goodness of homemade pierogi, a true testament to Polish culinary heritage.
POTATO AND CHEESE PIEROGI
This recipe is an Ukrainian one of my Great-Grandmothers passed down from the years. They are great with melted butter and sauteed onions, or fry if desired. They can also be frozen between layers of plastic wrap.
Provided by BOB_E_72
Categories Main Dish Recipes Dumpling Recipes
Time 2h10m
Yield 60
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain.
- Combine flour, eggs and salt. Mix in a little water at a time until dough is somewhat stiff. Roll dough in small sections about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large biscuit cutter or drinking glass, make circle cuts.
- To make filling: Mix together potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and onion salt. Fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture, fold over and seal edges. To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, carefully dropping in one at a time; stir once. They are done when they float to the top.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 96.9 calories, Carbohydrate 15.4 g, Cholesterol 15.4 mg, Fat 2.3 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 3.5 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 103.3 mg, Sugar 1 g
POTATO AND CHEESE PAN-FRIED PIEROGI
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 1h45m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- For the pierogi dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, olive oil, eggs, salt and 2 1/2 cups warm water. Start the mixer on slow for a minute, and then switch to high for another couple of minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Then slow the mixer down to medium speed and slowly add the remaining 1 cup warm water. Once the water is absorbed, return the mixer to high and let the dough beat for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the bowl. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Form into balls, spray with nonstick spray, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in a warmer area for 20 minutes.
- Spray the counter or large cutting board with the nonstick spray and begin to roll the dough with a rolling pin. Roll until a consistent thickness of 1/4-inch. Then spray with nonstick spray. (If it gets too thin, that's ok as you can re-ball and roll out again.) Use about a 3-inch circle cutter and press down hard and give a slight twist to completely separate from the rest of the dough, continue this throughout the entire piece.
- Remove the scraps and in-betweens, save, re-ball and re-roll. Then flip the circle cut-outs; they are ready to be stuffed.
- For the mashed potato filling: Boil the red potatoes, leaving the skin on, in a stock pot with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Once the potatoes are soft, drain off the water and place in the mixer bowl with the dough hook or paddle attachment. Add the butter right away so it will start to melt. Then add the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated garlic, onion powder and black and white peppers into the bowl and mix on a medium speed. Mix until smooth and free of all lumps. Now add the farmer's cheese and mix on high for a couple minutes until a little fluffy. Season with kosher salt. Loosen with milk if necessary. Let cool.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray (so the delicate dough doesn't stick. Place about 1 teaspoon of the potato and cheese filling in the center of all the cut-outs. (I like to use a bamboo skewer or large toothpick to remove the filling from the spoon to keep your hands clean.) Then pick up the dough with two hands and fold over the filling. Slightly pull out both sides at the base of the fold, then continue to pull, then pinch, and form and seal as you continue around the half moon. Double check for any areas that aren't smooth or completely sealed. Repeat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- In a large saucepan bring three-quarters of a gallon of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a rapid boil. One by one, drop in the pierogis. Par-boil them until they float, about 5 minutes. Then place them back on the baking sheet to let cool.
- To serve: Cover the bottom of a saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, saute the pierogis; they should sizzle once they hit the oil. After a minute or so, flip them, looking for a golden brown color. Plate with the sauteed onions and a side of sour cream for dipping. Drizzle with the butter and sprinkle with the parsley. Enjoy!
POTATO AND CHEESE PIEROGIES
Provided by Michael Symon : Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 30m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- For the dough: Work the egg, sour cream, butter and salt in a small bowl with a whisk or fork to form a batter. Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Add the sour cream mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands until a dough forms. (The dough is ready to use right away but if you are not forming the pierogies immediately, wrap in plastic and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.)
- For the filling: Stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese and chives in a medium bowl until well combined. Chill the filling so it is easier to work with.
- To form the pierogies: Roll the dough mass out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut 3-inch rounds. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in each round, and then fold over into half-moons, being careful not to push filling into the seam. Press closed and crimp with a fork if scalloped edges are preferred.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pierogies and wait until they float, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chives and a crack of black pepper.
POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE PIEROGI
These Polish dumplings are traditionally served with soft, browned onions or sour cream.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Appetizers
Yield Makes about 3 dozen
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Place potato in a large pan, and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, and holding the potato with a kitchen towel, peel while hot. Pass potato through a food mill, fitted with the finest disk, or a potato ricer into a large bowl.
- Add goat cheese, shallot, egg yolk, cream, sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper, and mix well using a wooden spoon.
- To form dumplings, place a circle of pierogi dough on a work surface, and put a heaping teaspoon filling toward the front of the circle. Moisten the edges of the dough with water, and fold in half around the filling to form a semicircle, firmly pinching the edges closed. Set aside on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue to fill and form pierogi, keeping them covered with plastic wrap, until all the dough is used up.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add half the pierogi. Boil gently until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Lift out with a slotted spoon, and repeat with remaining pierogi. Serve immediately.
PIEROGI RUSKIE (POTATO AND CHEESE PIEROGI)
Pierogi are always on the menu at milk bars, historic Polish restaurants that were once socialist canteens. This recipe for pierogi ruskie, stuffed with potatoes and cheese, comes from the Bar Prasowy, which is one of the most famous milk bars in Warsaw, and a place where fist-size dumplings can be filled with mushrooms and meat, spinach and cheese, or any number of combinations. These pierogi can be made from kitchen staples, though you'd be doing yourself a favor if you sought out the salty quark cheese that would be used in Poland. Be patient with your first few pierogi: Sealing the filling inside the dumpling takes some practice, but the practice itself is enjoyable. You can snack on the pierogi straight after boiling, or pan-fry them with butter until crisp and serve with barszcz, a light Polish borscht.
Provided by Amelia Nierenberg
Categories dinner, dumplings, project, vegetables, appetizer, main course, side dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 24 to 30 pierogi
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Prepare the dough: Add the flour and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water and the butter over medium-high until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. Pour the buttery liquid into the flour gradually, stirring it in as you add it. (The dough will be quite crumbly and flaky at this point, like a biscuit dough.) Stir in the egg until combined then move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough with a dampened towel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling: Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a large pot, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high and continue to cook at a simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, prepare the onions: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high. Add the onions, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and softened, about 12 minutes. Set aside about 1 cup of onions for garnish and add the rest to a medium bowl.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a colander to drain, then transfer to the medium bowl with the onions. Add the cheese, stir to combine, season generously with salt and pepper, then let cool.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high.
- Prepare the wrappers: Cut the dough into two even pieces. (You'll want to leave one piece under the towel to stay moist while you work with the other piece.) You'll also want a small bowl of flour, a small bowl of water and a towel handy for keeping your hands clean. Dust some flour onto a baking sheet (for holding the pierogi) and your work surface, then roll out one portion of dough until 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or inverted glass, punch 12 to 15 disks of dough. (Save and refrigerate the scraps to boil as a rustic pasta, in soup or another use.)
- Assemble the pierogi: Working with one disk at time, spoon a scant tablespoon of filling onto the middle of it. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling, bringing the edges together to form a crescent shape. Pinch the two sides together at the top, then work your way down on both sides, pinching the dough over the filling and pushing in the filling as needed, making sure the potato mixture does not break the seal. If needed, you can dip your fingertip into water and moisten the dough in spots as needed to help the two sides adhere together.
- To form a rustic pattern on the curved seal, pinch the rounded rim underneath using your pointer finger and middle finger and press an indentation on top with your thumb, working your way along the rounded rim. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. (If you've gotten some filling on your fingers, dip your fingertips into the bowl of water then dry them off on the towel.)
- Repeat with remaining disks, then repeat the entire process with the remaining portion of dough. You'll want to work fairly quickly, as the pierogi can be harder to seal if they start to dry out. (If cooking the pierogi at a later point, transfer them on the baking sheet to the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer the pierogi to a resealable bag and freeze.)
- To cook the pierogi, add a single layer of pierogi to the pot of boiling water. Let them cook until they rise to the surface, about 2 minutes, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes until puffy. (With frozen dumplings, you will need to increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked dumplings to a colander to drain, then boil remaining dumplings.
- If you want to pan-fry your pierogi, working in batches, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high until crackling. Add a few boiled pierogi in a single layer to avoid overcrowding, and cook until crisp and golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining pierogi, adding butter as needed.
- Serve hot. Top with any browned butter from the pan, warmed reserved onions, sour cream and herbs.
CHEF JOHN'S POTATO AND CHEESE PIEROGI
If I had to pick a favorite recipe of all time, I think it might be this potato and cheese pierogi recipe handed down to me by my Polish grandmother.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Pierogi
Time 3h15m
Yield 7
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Prepare dough: Mix 3 ½ cups flour and salt together in a large bowl, then make a well in the center. Pour vegetable oil and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water into the well. Stir to form a shaggy dough that just pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Use a little flour to clean the dough off the spoon.
- Transfer dough to a work surface; press and knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough. You can add a little more flour if it's too sticky but don't add too much. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Leave on the counter for 1 hour or pop it into the refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.
- Prepare buttered onions: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let mixture cool a bit, then transfer to a bowl and reserve until needed.
- Prepare filling: 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 20 minutes. Drain well and mash until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Place farmer's cheese in a bowl and break it up with a spoon. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, then add 2 to 3 heaping spoons of the buttered onions. Be sure to drain off most of the butter so you're adding mostly onions. Mix just until ingredients are evenly combined.
- Add cooled mashed potatoes and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside while you roll the dough.
- Roll ¼ of the dough at a time on a floured surface until very thin, at least 1/8-inch thick or thinner if possible. Cut 3 ½-inch circles out of the dough, saving all scraps for re-rolling.
- Add about 2 tablespoons filling to the center of each circle. Moisten your fingertips with water and wet the edges, then fold the dough over the filling and seal the two edges together in the center. Flatten the filling very lightly under the dough as you press and seal the edge of each pierogi with your fingers, working from the center to the ends. Try not to trap air in the pierogi as you seal. The edge can be left as is, or you can pinch the dough every inch or so to make pleats for a more decorative appearance.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pierogi in batches and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes (they may or may not float to the top.)
- While the pierogi are boiling, melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Transfer pierogi from the boiling water directly into the melted butter. Cook until light golden brown, about 2 minutes per side or longer if more browning is desired.
- Continue boiling and browning pierogi in batches as needed.
- Transfer to a plate and spoon buttered onions over top. Garnish with sour cream and chives.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 739.1 calories, Carbohydrate 67.6 g, Cholesterol 96.4 mg, Fat 41.8 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 22.6 g, SaturatedFat 23.8 g, Sodium 1267.1 mg
Tips:
- For a creamier filling, use full-fat sour cream and cottage cheese.
- To make the filling more flavorful, add some grated cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, or crumbled bacon.
- If you don't have any fresh parsley, you can use dried parsley instead. Just add 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley to the filling.
- To make sure the filling is cooked through, fry a small amount of it in a pan before adding it to the pierogi.
- If you're short on time, you can use store-bought mashed potatoes instead of making your own.
Conclusion:
Potato and cheese filling is a classic pierogi filling that is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a simple filling to make, and it can be customized to your own taste. Whether you like your filling creamy or cheesy, plain or flavorful, there is a potato and cheese filling recipe out there for you. So next time you're looking for a delicious and satisfying meal, give potato and cheese pierogi a try!
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