Pierogies
Prep. Time: 2:30
Yield: 80-85
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup half and half cream
1/4 cup butter OR margarine - softened
1/2 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg white - beaten
1 Tbls. water
-Beat together first 5 ingredients; fold in flour, adding more if needed to form a soft dough; cover and let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place
-Kneed dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes OR run dough through the thickest setting of a pasta maker 5 times.
-Divide dough into 4 pieces; cover with a moist towel.
-Roll out each dough section to 1/8" thick; cut out 3 1/2" circles using a cookie cutter, cup, or can.
-Beat together egg white and water; set aside.
-Place 1 Tbls. of filling (your choice, see below) in the center of each circle; fold circle in half over filling; brush with egg wash, and seal edges by pressing the tines of a fork; place finished pierogies on waxed paper until all are complete.
-Either freeze pierogies in a single layer, then store frozen pierogies in a sealable plastic zipper bag OR boil filled pierogis in water for 5 minutes, or until they float. To cook frozen pierogies, boil for 10-12 minutes.
Fillings: The possibilities are endless, but these are the 3 my family makes.
Potato & Cheese
4 peeled, cubed potatoes - boiled until tender
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter OR bacon grease
1 tsp. seasoned salt
3 slices bacon - fried, crumbled, optional
-Mash together all ingredients.
Sauerkraut
32 oz. jar sauerkraut - drained, rinsed if desired
1/2 lb. bacon - fried, crumbled, with grease from cooking
1 Tbls. garlic salt
-Stir together all ingredients.
Notes: This is an old Czechoslovakian recipe. It has recently become available in supermarkets, but this recipe beats them all. Top cooked pierogies with sautéed onions in butter.
I add Garlic powder -salt-pepper to the top of the dough after sealed and when cooking I put butter -lots -n- lots of onions chopped when I make these and make the dough as thin as I can so long as it hold the fillings. hj
