posted by vpmarina 01-07-103 9:00 AM
Pierogi
Dough:
1 16 oz container sour cream
3 eggs
5 cups flour
Filling:
1 bag sauerkraut, well drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 Sticks of butter or margarine
Butter and chopped onions for frying
In heavy skillet (cast iron is good) melt at least a stick of butter and add well drained sauerkraut and onion. The idea is to fry ingredients at medium heat until sauerkraut is golden brown. Be patient because this will take a while. Adding more butter is fine (except for your waistline) because you want this mixture to be stiff after it cools. This will help enormously when it's time to stuff the pierogies. Chill thoroughly. Overnite is good.
Mix together sour cream and eggs. Mix in just about 4-4 1/2 cups flour until smooth. You don't want the dough too tight and dry. You just want it to not be sticky. It should feel soft like a baby's bottom! Use the rest of the flour for rolling the dough. Roll out small batches of dough until about 1/4" thick. Use round cookie cutter, about 3", to cut dough. You may want to dip cutter in flour occasionally to prevent sticking.
Stuff the rounds with the filling and press edges together. Make sure the filling doesn't peek out the sides or they will come apart when boiled.
Into rapidly boiling water add several pierogies at a time. Don't crowd the pot. When they float to the top take them out. You can eat them now but the second part of the cooking changes their texture completely.
In heavy skillet melt more butter. Add onions and boiled pierogies. Make sure pierogies are not wet. Cook until dumplings are golden brown, turn over and repeat. A Russian friend told me that his family would eat them boiled the day they made them (served with sour cream) but after that they would do the second step as well. Frying them in butter makes the dough puff ever so slightly like a fried bread.
Boiled pierogies can sit in fridge for several days or be frozen.