Sauerkraut Pierogies Recipes

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT PIEROGIES / PEROGIES - OLD FASHIONED RECIPE

Steps:

• Sauerkraut Filling: Rinse the sauerkraut well in warm water, squeeze dry, and chop very fine.
• Cook the onion in the fat or shortening until tender.
• Add the sauerkraut and cream.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until sauerkraut is tender and the flavors blend.
• Do not over cook.
• Chill thoroughly.
• Mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl.
• Add the egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
• Knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth.
• Caution: Too much kneading will toughen the dough.
• Divide the dough into 2 parts.
• Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
• Prepare the filling.
• The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.
• Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board.
• Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter, or as most old-world grandmothers did, with the open end of a glass.
• Put the round in the palm of your hand.
• Place a spoonful of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with the fingers.
• The edges should be free of filling.
• Be sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.
• Place the pierogi on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
• COOKING: Drop a few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water.
• Do not attempt to cook too many at a time.
• Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Continue boiling for 3-4 minutes.
• The cooling period will depend upon the size you made it, the thickness of the dough and the filling.
• Pierogies will be ready when they are puffed.
• Remove them with a perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly.
• Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter to prevent them from sticking.
• Cover and keep them hot until all are cooked.
• Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them.
• Top with melted butter- chopped crisp bacon and/or chopped onions lightly browned in butter.
• REHEATING: One of the great things about pierogies, is that they can be made in large quantities, refrigerated, frozen and reheated without lost of quality.
• Many prefer reheated pierogies as compared to freshly boiled ones.
• To re-heat, you can 1) pan fry pierogies in butter or bacon fat until they are light in color or 2) heat the pierogies in the top of a double boiler or in the oven until they are hot and plump or 3) deep fry them.

CABBAGE PIEROGI

Steps:

• Cut the cabbages into quarters. Steam until very tender, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool. In a strong but thin linen towel, squeeze as much of the liquid from the steamed cabbage as possible. Squeeze only a small handful at a time. Discard the juice.
• Grind the squeezed cabbage with the fine blade of a meat grinder. Add the cream cheese and softened butter and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• To make the dough, whisk the egg, milk, water, and sour cream together. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after every addition. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. This may take 10 minutes. Add as little flour as possible. Put ball of dough under an inverted bowl until ready to use.
• To make the pierogi, cut the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured board, roll one piece of dough into a round, 1/16 inch thick. Keep rest of dough covered. With a cookie cutter or glass tumbler (2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter), cut the dough into rounds. For each pierogi, take 1 round of dough, stretch it a bit with your fingers, and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cabbage onto the center.
• Fold the circle in half and press the edges together. Martha crimps the edges with her fingertips into a decorative pattern. Be sure to seal the edges well or the filling may fall out during cooking. Put finished dumplings on a towel or tray that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Continue rolling dough until all the filling has been used up.
• Bring a very large kettle of water to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water and cook about 20 pierogi at one time in simmering water until they are tender and float (about 5 to 6 minutes). Remove to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and dribble with butter. Leftover pierogi can be reheated in the oven, or on top of the stove in a heavy skillet.

OLD FASHIONED SAUERKRAUT PEROGIES

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE SAUERKRAUT FILLING: Note: You can fry your onions and bacon ahead of time.
• 2. I bought the type of sauerkraut that you find in a jar, so first drain it and then rinse the sauerkraut well in warm water, squeeze it dry, and chop it up finely.
• 3. Cook the onion or shallot in fat or shortening until tender and the flavors are blended.
• 4. Add the sour cream to the sauerkraut, season with salt and pepper.
• 5. Cook in a saucepan on low for 15 minutes until the sauerkraut is tender. Do not over cook this!
• 6. Chill in the fridge until cold and then fill the perogies.
• 7. FOR THE PEROGIES
• 8. Put the flour, butter and salt into the food processor with the lid on and turn on the machine. Put the water through the feeding tube in a stream. Let this process until a ball of dough is formed. Let the dough sit for a half hour and it will be easier to work with. I put mine in a plastic bag on the counter.
• 9. Once the dough has set and the sauerkraut is chilled roll out the dough and use a 4" round cookie cutter to cut out your perogies. Fill each being careful not to get any on the edges. Seal shut tightly.
• 10. Place the perogies on a floured surface so they won't stick. Cover with a tea towel.
• 11. Drop the perogies into a large pot of boiling water. When they float up to the surface they are done. Don't put too many in the pot at once, maybe 6 at the most, otherwise this will cool your water down too much.
• 12. Melt some butter and put it into the bottom of an oven proof dish and add your first layer of perogies I use a 9x13" casserole dish. I layer the perogies with fried bacon and onions and more butter. These stick easily so make sure you have enough butter on them.
• 13. Place in the oven and keep warm until you're ready to eat. I love a dollop of sour cream on the side.
• 14. Enjoy!

SAUERKRAUT FILLING FOR PIEROGI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over a medium flame. Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until tender but not brown. Stir in sauerkraut, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons sour cream.

SAUERKRAUT PIEROGI FILLING

Steps:

• Grind sauerkraut in a food processor. Transfer to a skillet; cook and stir over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Heat butter in skillet over medium heat; stir in onion and mushrooms. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Combine sauerkraut with onion mixture, add salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Spread onto plate to cool completely.

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.

KIELBASA, PIEROGIES & SAUERKRAUT BAKE - STOVETOP AND OVEN METHOD

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
• Drain the sauerkraut, reserving the liquid.
• Pre-heat a large 12-inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and brown the Kielbasa sausage slices on both sides. Remove the browned sausage from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onion to the skillet and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté until they start to brown - about 5 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and caraway seeds and continue to sauté for a few more minutes. Add the stock or beer, reserved sauerkraut liquid and stone-ground mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and return the browned Kielbasa to the skillet.
• Add the pierogies, nestling them into the sauerkraut and onions. Lower the heat under the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the Cheddar and Swiss cheeses on top and transfer the pan to the oven.
• Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pierogies are cooked through and the cheese has melted. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

VEGAN SAUERKRAUT PIEROGIES

Steps:

• For the Filling:.
• I bought the bottled type of sauerkraut, so first drain the sauerkraut and then rinse it well in warm water.
• Squeeze it dry and chop fine.
• Saute the shallots in the margarine until tender.
• Add the sauerkraut and vegan sour cream.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook on low for 15 minutes or until the sauerkraut is tender and the flavours have all blended. "Do not over cook!".
• Chill this in the fridge until cold.
• Now prepare the dough for the pierogies.
• Roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut into circles. Its up to you what size you make these. I like the 3 1/2 to 4 inch size. You can use a biscuit cutter or a glass as your cutter.
• Place the sauerkraut filling in the middle of the dough circle and fold the dumpling in half and seal the edges thoroughly. You don't want the filling to leak out.
• Remember as you make the dumplings, don't let them touch one another, they stick together easily. Cover the dumplings with a clean tea towel to keep from drying out.
• Cook these for 5-8 minutes.they should float up to the surface of the water when done.
• I cook about 6-8 at a time so the dumplings don't become crowded in the pot.
• When the pierogies are finished, I like to put them in a casserole dish that has been greased with margarine.
• I also like to layer the pierogies melted vegan margarine, onions and turkey bacon. Put into a moderate oven and warm through.
• You can also fry these if you like a crunchier pierogie.
• Serve with vegan sour cream.
• Bon Appetit!

PIEROGIES WITH STEWED SAUERKRAUT AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut and flour. Mix in 2/3 cup water. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauerkraut is tender and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally and adding more water by tablespoonfuls if mixture seems dry, about 20 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.)
• Meanwhile, cook pierogies in large pot of boiling salted water until heated through, about 6 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl and toss with remaining 4 tablespoons butter.
• Spoon sauerkraut mixture into large shallow bowl. Top with pierogies. Serve with sour cream.