PIROGIES
Ever since we went to this Polish-Mexican restaurant in London’s Shepherd Markey, Liat loves pirogies. Sadly, they are not abound in the US, especially not fresh ones. The remedy – the recipe below.
Dough
3 cups flour 1 cup water 1 large egg 2 tsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. salt
Put flour in large, shallow bowl and make a well in center. Add remaining ingredients and beat them with a fork to combine but not with the flour. Use wooden spoon to gradually incorporate the flour until a soft dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with flour as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Invert a bowl over the dough and let stand for an hour.
Make filling while dough stands:
Potato
1 ½ lbs. russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” squares 6 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (2 ¼ cups) ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper
Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl with remaining ingredients and mash. Make spoonfuls worth of filling balls and cover with plastic wrap.
Onion topping
1 onion, thinly sliced 1 stick butter
Cook onion slowly (medium-low heat) in butter until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Form and cook pirogues:
Bring a large spaghetti pot of salt water to a boil. Meanwhile, halve dough and roll out one half on lightly floured surface 1/8” thick. Keep the other half covered
by that inverted bowl. Cut with a glass into 24 rounds. Put filling ball in center of each round and pinch edges to seal. You can use a little water to seal better. Transfer onto a lightly floured towel and cover with another towel.
Once water boils add half of the pirogues, stirring once to separate them and cook 5 minutes or until they float to surface. Remove and toss gentle in onion topping.
You can also form but not cook pirogues and freeze for a month. Best freezing technique is in one flat row until frozen, then transfer into plastic bags. Reheat in butter in a skillet, stirring until golden brown. |