Homemade Polish Pierogi

Some Polish food on the menu at Cavalcade of Food: Pierogi! The Polish word for dumpling is "pierog" and the plural is "pierogi." I find this dough to have a richness and fairly easy to work with. These pierogi are filled with a potato and cheese mixture. Other traditional fillings include sauerkraut, sweetened farmer's cheese, mushrooms and some fruit fillings like blueberry and plum/prune. Does your family have a pierogi tradition? Please share it with us!

2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP melted butter
1/4 sour cream
extra flour for dusting

Have all your ingredients at room temperature.
In a large bowl, add flour, egg, milk, butter and sour cream. Stir together until dough forms. If the dough is really sticky then add a little more flour. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until it becomes smooth and elastic. Don't over work the dough. Let it rest for five minutes before rolling out.

Roll dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut blanks of dough (I get 16-18 out of this recipe) and set blanks on parchment paper.

Mix the filling:
1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed potatoes - slightly warmed
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl. The potatoes should be warm enough to melt the cheese into potatoes.

Fill the pierogi. Take a round of dough and stretch it out slightly. Put a good teaspoon of filling in the middle then wet the outer edge of the dough (just use your finger for this) and fold the dough together to form a half circle. Gently pull the dough as you pinch the dough closed - make sure it is well sealed (see video). Place finished pierogi on parchment paper.

Bring a large pot of water to a low/moderate boil. Add salt to water. Without crowding the pot, gently drop pierogi in water. You will likely need to do this part in a couple of batches. The pierogi will sink to the bottom of the pot and then as they cook they will rise and float on the surface of the water. Once they surface, continue to cook them another four minutes.

Remove pierogi from pot using a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack with paper towel underneath. This will allow the pierogi to drain and dry.

If you like yours just boiled, they are ready to serve. If you like yours pan fried, then melt three tablespoons of butter in a skillet and saute the pierogi until they are browned on both sides.

Serve with sour cream and sauteed onions (if desired).

You can also freeze the pierogi after they come out of the boiling water. Allow them to drain and dry, and put them on a baking sheet and allow the to freeze in a single layer in the freezer - this will prevent them from sticking together. Once frozen, you can put them in a freezer bag.