Sauerkraut Potato And Cheese Pierogi W Onions 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.

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.

POTATO AND CHEESE PIEROGI

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.

PIEROGIES WITH POTATO AND SAUERKRAUT FILLING

Steps:

• Prepare the sauerkraut filling by melting the butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until light brown, about 20 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate to cool.
• For the mashed potato filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook over medium low heat until light brown, about 20 minutes. Stir into the mashed potatoes, and season with salt and white pepper.
• To make the dough, beat together the eggs, oil and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, wrap half in plastic wrap then roll out the other half to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water or egg wash, fold over, and press together with a fork or pinch with fingers to seal.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a very slow boil add 6-8 perogies at a time (do not crowd them) and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove and drain.
• Serve with melted butter and carmelized onions spooned over the top.
• Or serve with horsesradish and sour cream.