Farmer Cheese Dumplings Recipes

PIEROGI WITH FARMERS CHEESE (VARENIKI RECIPE)

Steps:

• Mix sugar, farmers cheese and egg, until it's fully mixed in. Set it aside.
• Whisk eggs together with sour cream, lukewarm water and milk until you get an even texture.
• To the liquid ingredients, add in flour, sugar and salt. Knead the dough by hand or a stand-up mixer until it's no longer sticky.
• Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Using a cup, stamp out circles. Flour the cup to make it easier to cut circles.
• One by one fill your circles with filling, placing the filling in the center.
• Fold over the edges and tighten them up with your fingers, making sure it's firm enough for your filling not to fall out.
• Bring a pot of water up to boil. Add 10-20 pierogi, cook until they float up to the top. Drain and top with melted unsalted butter. Optionally, serve with sour cream, jam or sugar.Tip: If freezing the pierogi, use a floured cooking sheet or cutting board. Once the pierogi are fully frozen, move them to a ziplock bag.

PIEROGI RUSKIE: POTATO-CHEESE PIEROGI

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Parboil the potatoes in a large saucepan by covering them with cold water and adding 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and let cool slightly.
• While the potatoes are parboiling, place the butter in a small pan, add the onion, and sauté over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Peel the cooked potatoes, place them in a large bowl, and mash them with a fork or potato ricer .
• Add the sautéed onion and farmer cheese to the potatoes and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place 2 cups of flour in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center.
• Break the egg into it, then add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of lukewarm water, a little at a time.
• Bring the dough together, kneading well and adding the remaining flour or water as needed to form a smooth dough ball.
• Divide the dough in half and cover it with a bowl or towel. Let it rest 20 minutes.
• Assemble the pierogi on a floured work surface by rolling out the dough to 1/8 inch in thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter or drinking glass, make small circles.
• Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling onto the middle of each circle.
• Fold the dough in half to form a half-circle shape and then firmly pinch the edges together.
• Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour and place the filled pierogi on it in a single layer. Keep the formed pierogi under a clean kitchen towel to stop them from drying.
• Gather scraps, reroll, and fill until you've used all of the first half of the dough. Repeat the process with the remaining half of dough.
• Cook the pierogi by bringing a large, low saucepan of salted water to a rapid boil. Depending on the size of your pot, drop in about 6 to 10 pierogi at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Return the water to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. When the pierogi rise to the surface, continue to simmer a few more minutes. It should take around 5 to 6 minutes for the pierogi to be cooked.
• With a slotted spoon taste one, and if done, remove the remaining pierogi to a platter greased with some of the butter for serving. This will prevent the pierogi from sticking to each other.
• Serve warm with caramelized onions , skwarki, or crispy bits of bacon and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy.

TUROSGOMBOC - HUNGARIAN FARMER'S CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Using a wooden spoon, press the farmers cheese through a medium sieve into a large bowl.
• Add the egg, the semolina, and the pinch of salt.
• Mix with wooden spoon until the dough reaches a uniformly stiff consistency.
• Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• While the dough chills, prepare the toasted breadcrumbs.
• Melt butter in a nonstick or cast iron pan. Add the bread crumbs, stirring and tossing until a golden brown color is achieved. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Reduce the water's heat to a simmer.
• Using wet hands to prevent the dough from sticking, form dumplings 2 inches in diameter, and drop them gently into the water. (Do not crowd the dumplings in the water. As the first ones float and are removed you can add new ones to replace them.)
• You may give a gentle stir to ensure the dumplings don't rest on the bottom of the pot.
• When the dumplings float to the surface they are done.
• Using a bamboo strainer or a slotted spoon, remove the cooked dumplings to the pan of bread crumbs.
• Roll the dumplings around until well coated.
• Serve immediately with cinnamon sugar (or plain granulated sugar) and sour cream (we usually thin it with milk so it flows a little better).

LAZY PIEROGI RECIPE (VIDEO)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs with farmer's cheese, sugar, and melted butter.
• Into the wet ingredients, fold in the all-purpose flour in small portions. Note: depending on the flour you use, you may need to add a bit more. The dough should be sticky, but possible to work with on a well-floured surface.
• Place the dough onto a well-floured surface. Roll out strings of dough and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
• Bring a pot of water to boil. In batches, boil the dumplings so they don't stick together, stirring them occasionally. You'll know they are ready when they float to the top of the water. Drain them and immediately toss them in melted butter.
• Serve with sour cream, jam, or your favorite fruit. Enjoy!

NORTH CROATIAN FARMERS CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix well whole eggs and lard. Drain the cheese and add into eggs. Add whole semolina, mix well and leave at least two hours in refrigerator. Longer it stays in refrigerator, better dumplings.
• Heat large pot with water until it boils. Keep boiling.
• Soak your hands in cold water and make balls; Golf-ball size. Put them one after another into boiling water and cook until they start to float on the surface and than 3-5 more minutes. It really depends how hard are your dumplings (that means you have to stick to the recipe).
• To serve as a side dish to meat and sauce, fry some breadcrumbs on butter and put the dumplings into the pan, and fry with breadcrumbs just to stick it to the dumplings. Serve warm.

TWARóG: POLISH FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Gently warm up the milk on the stove. By "gently", I really mean it! Aim for a slightly warm (not hot!) temperature.
• If you're using raw milk, sometimes a layer of thick cream forms on top - keep it or remove it (I love full-fat everything, so personally I keep it; but if you're avoiding fats - get rid of it). When using raw milk, no sour cream is needed. Just proceed to Step 5.
• When using pasteurized milk from a store, add 8 heaped teaspoons of sour cream (or more!) per 2 quarts (roughly 2 litres) of milk.There is no need to measure the ingredients exactly, it will work either way.
• Blend milk and sour cream together with a fork.
• Pour the milk mixture into a large container, ideally a large cooking pot - that way we won't have to transfer that milk later on.
• Cover the container (that's optional). Some homecooks leave the container uncovered, others cover it with a cheesecloth to keep the insects away. I use a piece of a muslin square and secure it in place with a rubber band.
• Leave the milk in a warm place, for example: on the kitchen counter. Don't stir it, don't poke it - just let it be.
• The fermentation process can take anywhere from a few hours, up to 2 days. That depends on the temperature: if you live in a hot climate, it's likely to be ready within a day. For me, it took a day and a half to curdle.
• Observe the milk, have a taste from time to time. Once it has curdled, the consistency turns jelly-like and the flavour becomes pleasantly sour - it's ready. The longer you wait, the more sour the milk (and therefore eventually: the cheese as well) becomes.
• Carefully move the curdled soured milk into a cooking pot, try not to break the curd too much. If you soured the milk in a cooking pot from the get-go - just keep it there.
• Submerging the knife into the curd, cut it into large cubes, roughly 2 inch in size.
• Start heating the mixture on a 'low' heat. Slowly, gently. If you have a thermometer, aim for the 97-102°F (36-39°C) range in the centre of the pot.
• While heating, gently stir the ingredients from time to time. Start from the edge and then move to the center of the pot. Aim to keep the same temperature for 30 minutes, up to an hour.
• After that time, let the mixture cool completely (2-3 hours are usually enough)
• Place a strainer over a large bowl, to collect the strained whey. Layer it with a cheesecloth (I'm just using clean muslin squares). Pour the curled mixture in.
• Squeeze off the excess whey. Make a knot and hang to drain for 30-40 minutes.
• After draining, you can make it even dryer by pressing it. Just put something heavy (e.g. a jar filled with water) on top of the cheese wrapped in a cloth. The resulting Twaróg will be firmer and more compact.
• Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

VARENIKI WITH FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Mix the flour and salt, place into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Crack the egg and add oil into the flour. Using a fork, stir into the flour. Slowly add the water while kneading, until the dough forms a sticky ball.
• Continue to knead the dough on a floured surface until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
• Cover the dough with a bowl and allow to rest for about an hour. If you're in a hurry you can use after 30 minutes of rest, but an hour is best.
• While the dough is resting, prepare the Farmer's Cheese filling. In a bowl, mix together Farmer's Cheese, eggs and salt until combined.
• Roll out the dough about ⅛" thin on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3" cookie cutter, cut out circles. Re-mix, roll out and reuse the extra dough to make more circles. Cover the dough that you aren't using so it doesn't dry out.
• Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of the circle. Carefully fold in half and pinch to seal the Varenik shut. Careful not to have the filling touching the edges, or it will unseal in the water.
• Place the Vareniki on a tray and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Place the individually frozen Vareniki into a Ziplock bag for an easy dinner later.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the Vareniki into the water and boil until they float to the top, about 5-7 minutes. Frozen Vareniki will take longer. Serve tossed in butter and sour cream.

CHEDDAR CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• COMBINE the flour, eggs, butter and salt in a food processor, bowl of a stand mixer or by hand in a large bowl and mix until the dough has the consistency of wet sand. Add the water, and mix until a workable dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with a damp, cotton towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. MELT the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onions until they just start to soften, about 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Place the onions in a mixing bowl and add the cheese, salt and pepper and mix until it is well blended. Set aside. AFTER the dough has rested, divide it in half and place one half on a lightly floured work surface and keep the other half covered in the bowl. Roll the half you are working with out into a very thin sheet, about 1/16 inch thick. Using a 3" to 3½ inch floured cookie cutter or glass cut out circles of the dough. Save the dough scraps and add to the dough left in the bowl. PLACE two or three teaspoons of the cheese filling in the center of the circles and fold one side of the dough over the filling to form a half circle. Seal them by pressing the edges together with your fingers. You can also help seal them by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork. As they are done, place the dumplings on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and scraps until either all of the dough or all of the cheese filling has been used. BRING a pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop 3 or 4 of the dumplings into the pot and gently stir to prevent them from sticking. Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Using a slotted spoon remove the cooked dumplings and put them in a colander to drain for a few seconds and then transfer to a bowl. Repeat this until all of the dumplings have been cooked. Add the two tablespoons of cut butter to the bowl and, as it is melting, gently toss to coat the dumplings. Serve with lots of sour cream.

FARMER CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Stir together flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in flour mixture and add egg, oil, and water, then gently beat with a fork, gradually incorporating shallow scrapings from inside flour wall to form a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Rinse a 2-quart bowl with hot water and dry it, then invert over dough. Let dough stand, covered, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Make cheese filling:
• Stir together farmer cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, salt, and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in a bowl. Beat egg whites in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into cheese mixture gently but thoroughly.
• Roll and fill dough:
• Bring an 8- to 10-quart pot of salted water (see Tips, page 141) to a boil.
• Meanwhile, cover table with tablecloth, allowing cloth to hang over edges, and dust cloth lightly with flour (it isn't necessary to dust overhang). Lightly flour dough and roll out on cloth with rolling pin, as evenly as possible, into a 24- by 20-inch rectangle, so that a long side of rectangle is nearest you. Dough should be thin enough for you to see any pattern on tablecloth.
• Gently brush dough with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Divide cheese filling into 2 mounds on dough on left and right sides. Spread filling into 2 side-by-side 18- by 10-inch rectangles (with a short side of each cheese rectangle nearest you), leaving a 2-inch space between rectangles and a 1-inch border around outer edges.
• Holding tablecloth edge nearest you tautly, lift up cloth to make dough roll over on itself (away from you). Continue rolling, lifting tablecloth and pulling it toward you until dough is completely rolled (there is no need to use your hands to roll the dough). Cut into 2 rolls through 2-inch space between fillings.
• Carefully transfer 1 roll using a metal spatula onto center of 1 piece of cheesecloth. Fold cheesecloth over roll to cover top and wrap roll, then twist ends of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string about 1 inch from each end. (Excess cloth on ends helps in lifting roll when boiled.) Wrap second roll in same manner.
• Cook rolls in boiling water (rolls will float), partially covered, 15 minutes. Transfer with a large slotted spoon or skimmer to a shallow baking pan and cool 3 minutes. Cut off kitchen string and unwrap cheesecloth, then transfer rolls to a platter with a metal spatula. Trim off and discard ends of rolls, then drizzle rolls with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices.

VARENIKI WITH FARMERS CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine ½ a cup of sugar with 2 pounds of farmer's cheese and 1 egg in a bowl. When the ingredients are fully mixed, set to one side.
• Mix 2 eggs together with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, ½ a cup of lukewarm water and 1 cup of milk until you have a smooth mixture.
• Add 4 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring mixture together and knead the dough by hand or using a stand-up mixer until it is no longer sticky.
• Roll the pierogi dough on a floured surface. Cut out dough circles using a floured cup or cookie cutters.
• Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough circle.
• Fold each dough piece in half and press the edges together firmly using your fingers. Make sure that the seal is tight enough for your filling not to fall out. Use your fingers to create a scalloped edge by pinching along the sealed dough.
• Repeat the process until all the dough and filling is used.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Place 10-20 pierogi in the pan and cook until the dumplings float to the top. Drain and top with melted unsalted butter. Repeat until all the pierogi are cooked.
• Serve with sour cream, jam or sugar.