Winnipeg Perogies Recipes

WINNIPEG PEROGIES

Steps:

• Mix all the dough ingredients together in a large bowl. Knead it thoroughly. Let it rest covered in fridge overnight. It gets smooth after sitting for a long time. Very nice to work with.
• * Note* I've had perogies that are made with just potatoes, just meat, no cheese, only onion, some with just jam. It's up to you what you put in yours this is what I like in mine.
• After you've let the dough rest, peel all your potatoes, while those are on the stove, fry up the bacon and onions. I like to rough chop the onions, and cook the bacon whole, then throw it all in the food processor for a quick whirl.
• Shred all that cheese. It's time consuming, my step mom has a huge industrial grater for this, but I have to do it by hand. That's the only reason I have kids. That and dishes. Anyhow.
• Once you've cooked the potatoes to a soft stage, drain and rinse them thoroughly, I like to put them through the ricer before I salt, milk, butter and mash them, but however you make your potatoes is your deal.
• A. THE "PRETTY" WAY --
• Separate the dough into workable portions, and roll each portion as thin as you can without ripping the dough. Not paper thin, more like a 1/8 inch.
• I have a pasta roller, so I use this for uniformity sake.
• Use a 2-3 inch circular cookie cutter to cut out as many doughs as you can.
• Put a spoon sized amount of filling into the center of each circle, and dampen one edge with a smidge of water. Press to seal.
• B. THE "RIGHT" WAY --
• Take a small ball of dough in one hand, and smash it as flat as you can, stretching and pulling to get it large enough for a spoonful of filling.
• Dampen an edge and press to seal.
• Either way you do it, they'll taste awesome.
• Remember though that you have to boil the "raw" perogies before you eat them, or fry them or freeze them.
• To do this, simply make a HUGE pot of boiling water, dump a goodly amount of oil into it, drop in a handful of perogies (not too many as they will stick together and get yucky). When they float, take them out and either
• a) eat them, adding more toppings.
• b) throw them into a hot frying pan, cook them add more bacon, onions and sour cream and enjoy.
• or.
• c) toss them in a coating of oil, wait for them to cool and freeze them in a single layer on cookie sheet, when they have frozen you may put them into a freezer bag and store.

GRANDMA'S POLISH PEROGIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
• To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon.