| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | About 72 pierogi |
Ingredients
- 3 heaping cups flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Salt
- 1 stick butter
- 1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
- 32-ounce canned or fresh kapusta (sauerkraut), rinsed well to remove brine
- Salt and pepper
- Cheese filling (note: a traditional recipe would call for farmer’s cheese, but we find it too dry)
- 1 pound ricotta
- 2 eggs
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Make a well from the flour. Add eggs and about 1/2 cup of water. The amount of water will vary according to the weather. You want to make a stiff dough. Divide it into 3 equal portions and knead until silky smooth.
- Fillings: We usually make cheese and kapusta (sauerkraut), but you can use meat, potatoes, or even fruit.
- Saute onion in butter until just soft. Add kapusta and brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow time for the filling to cool before assembling pierogi, otherwise they will fall apart when cooked. If making more than one filling, this one can cool while you prepare the others.
- Mix well.
- To assemble and cook pierogi: Roll out a portion (or half portion, if space is limited) of the dough on a floured surface as thinly as possible — somewhere between a wonton and a thin pizza. Put about a tablespoon of filling on the dough and use a large plastic cup (a big gulp-type cup works really well) to cut a circle around the filling. Dampen half of the circumference of the circle with a bit of water on your finger and fold into a dumpling. Boil the dumplings a dozen at a time in a big pot of salted water until they float — no more than 3 minutes. At this point you can freeze them in bags for later use. To prepare for serving, brown the pierogi in a skillet using a bit of butter. If you want to be really traditional you can use bacon grease. Alternately, you can bake them in a casserole, spraying both the casserole and the pierogi with a butter flavored spray, and putting a few pats of butter on top of the dumplings.
Reviews
This is pretty much the traditional Polish recipe. One suggestion, if the dough is too elastic just place it in the fridge for about 10 minutes and it will roll out just fine. If you use cottage cheese instead of farmer cheese, put it in a strainer over a bowl and let the water drain out for a while to make it easier to handle. Potato stuffing with mashed potatoes (minus the milk plus your favorite cheese are always a hit! Apricot and Prune filling makes it a great hot desert. Don’t forget to serve with sour cream on the side.
My mom suggested a version from her mother: use a half of a prune plum for the filling. A sweet pierogi without extra sugar. Yum!
I’ve been searching for the kapusta filling recipe! Outstanding childhood memories of cabbage and cheese pierogi at the local ethnic restaurant! Yummy, yummy, YUMMY! Thank you Jablonski family, the “old ways” are the best way.
Right on target! I actually found pot cheese here is the south – my grandmother (who was born in 1895) couldn’t find after they moved here from Chicago in the 70’s. We never ever had potato filled piergoi’s. I happen to like the saurkraut too – must be my German other half!
I have made pierogi with my polish relatives all of my life and I can say that this recipe is pretty much the way we do it. One other tip….dont roll out too much dough at once… I cut off a piece large enough for one pierogi and only roll out that much at a time…having 3 people really helps too… one rolls, one fills and one boils.
My late mum (passed on 28/08/2009) was of Polish/Ukraine nationality & made the best Pierogi in Sydney Australia.She also made them for the Polsh Catholic Church which was requested by them. One of her fillings & my favourite was a combination of fried chopped onion in butter, mashed potatoes, & farm cheese *similar to cottage cheese I guess” . After boiling the pierogi I would have them with chopped onion fried with chopped speck – bacon & also Kapusta – fried cabbage as opposed to the usual topping of sour cream She also made Russian Piroshki, which was ensconced in a dough similar to Yeast Doughnuts & the filling was a combination of finely minced pork, veal, fried onion & spices I have not made these Pierogi yet, but after reading the great reviews I am looking forward to trying them
I am so surprised that I can’t find anyone else who makes them like my mom — she mixed sauerkraut with pot style cottage cheese (large curd cheese), and then added mashed potatoes. After boiling, she topped them off with carmelized onions and browned salt pork. Guess Mom’s recipe is more ‘Old World’ than these others. However, of all the recipes I’ve ever tried, the Jablonsky’s have the best! Delicious!
Easy recipe, great perogies. We fried them in onions and peppers and had a geat side dish. I loved both the Kapusta (loved saying it) and the cheese. You can fill with just about anything. One day my brother and I filled with Kishka (blood sausage) and they were great too. I’ve even used Keilbasa pieces and cheese, or patotoes and cheese. All were great. This one is a keeper.
For a first time maker of “Pierogi”, I found this recipe easy and fun to do. I used my pasta maker to help roll out the dough, it worked very well. I would use this recipe again & again, I just loved it!