Pierogi - Poland

A plateful of pierogi ruskie with cheese and potato filling, topped with fried onion - Poland

Pierogi (Polish pronunciation: [pjɛˈrɔɡʲi]; also spelled perogi, pierogy, pierógi, pyrohy, or pyrogy) are boiled, baked or fried dumplings of unleavened dough traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular, but are rectangular or triangular in some cuisines.

The Polish word pierogi is plural; the singular form pieróg is rarely used, as a typical serving consists of several pierogi. Time Magazine voted Pyrohy to be the number one greatest European food in a 1997 edition.

The origins of pierogi are difficult to trace. While dumplings as such are found throughout Eurasia, the specific name pierogi, with its Proto-Slavic root "pir" (festivity) and its various cognates in the West and East Slavic languages, shows the name's common Slavic origins, predating the modern nation states and their standardized languages, although in most of these languages the word means pie. In English, the word pierogi and its variants: perogi, pyrogy, perogie, perogy, pirohi, piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, and pyrohy, are pronounced with a stress on the letter "o". The Turkish word börek for a kind of pie or stuffed pastry may be a borrowing.

Pierogi are popular among the peoples of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The West Slavic Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks, as well as the East Slavic Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians and Ruthenians, and the Baltic Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians all consume this dish, although under different names (e.g., kalduny in Belarus, pirukad in Estonia, pīrāgi in Latvia, and koldūnai in Lithuania). In some East European languages, variants of this dish are known by names derived from the root of the word "to boil" (Russian: варить, varit', Ukrainian: варити, varyty), see "varenyky".

There is a similarity to Italian ravioli, culurgiones, tortelli, tortelloni, and tortellini. Also there is a similarity to Ashkenazi kreplach. In Turkey, Transcaucasus, and Central Asia round pockets of dough with a meat filling are called manti, khinkali, or chuchvara. In East Asia, similar foods are served, such as Chinese wonton or Jiaozi, Korean mandu or Songpyeon at the Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, jiaozi, Japanese gyoza, Mongolian buuz, Nepalese/Tibetan momo, and Afghani mantu. In the Indian state of Gujarat, a similar item is called 'Ghooghra' (or Ghugra), which is of very similar shape, stuffed with grainy sweet flour and small pieces of dry fruit. It is usually eaten during India's biggest (Hindu) festival of Diwali.

Ruskie Pierogi (Pierogi With Cheese & Potato Filling)

Ingredients

      Filling
          o 2 potatoes, cooked & mashed ( 1/2 cup instant or leftover mashed potatoes is fine too)
          o 1 cup cottage cheese, drained
          o 1 onions, minced & sauteed in butter until clear
          o 1 egg yolks, beaten
          o 1 tablespoon butter, melted
          o 1 teaspoon sugar
          o 1/4 teaspoon salt
          o pepper, to taste
      Dough
          o 2 1/4 cups flour
          o 1/2 teaspoon salt
          o 2 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
          o 1 large eggs, at room temperature
          o 1 egg yolks, at room temperature
          o 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk, at room temperature
          o 2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
      To prepare
          o 12 cups salt water

Directions

   1. Combine all of the ingredients listed under filling and refrigerate until ready to assemble pierogi.
   2. Combine flour, salt and butter in food processor.
   3. In a separate bowl, blend together egg, egg yolk, milk and sour cream.
   4. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and process until dough cleans sides of bowl and sticks together (the dough will be slightly sticky).
   5. Remove from processor, shape into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
   6. Cut dough into thirds; roll each section out on floured surface into 12" round.
   7. Cut each round into 8 (3") circles (using a glass works well).
   8. Place about 2 tsp filling on each dough circle.
   9. Moisten outer edges with water and fold dough over to close.
  10. Seal edges by pressing gently with the back of a fork or pinching together with your fingers.
  11. In large pot, bring salted water to boil.
  12. Cook 12 pierogi at a time, reducing heat to a gentle boil; boil until pierogi float to the surface (about 5 minutes).
  13. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel and transfer to serving dish.
  14. Repeat with remaining pierogi.
  15. At this point you can serve them warm, freeze them for later use or fry them in butter over medium heat, lightly browning both sides before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (326 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving
    % Daily Value
Calories 550.1
   
Calories from Fat 150
    27%

Amount Per Serving
    % Daily Value
Total Fat 16.7g
    25%
Saturated Fat 8.7g
    43%
Cholesterol 166.8mg
    55%
Sugars 6.4 g
Sodium 752.6mg
    31%
Total Carbohydrate 79.6g
    26%
Dietary Fiber 4.7g
    18%
Sugars 6.4 g
    25%
Protein 19.5g
    39%