Best 6 Moms Best Pierogies Recipes

THE CLASSIC PIEROGI (POTATO AND CHEESE)

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in salty water until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Drain water from cooked potatoes. Mash them with some warm milk and butter. Mix in cheese.
• Whisk eggs with sour cream and milk until you get an even texture.
• To the liquid ingredients, add in flour and salt.
• Knead the dough by hand or by using a standing mixer. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes once fully kneaded and elastic.
• Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Cut circles out of the dough using a cookie cutter or a floured glass cup.
• One by one, spoon filling into dough dough. Fold the dough over to create a quesadilla or empanada shape. Pinch edges together with your fingers to seal the filling inside.
• Flour the surface where you plan to place pierogi. Note: You can freeze the pierogi at this point and save them for later.
• Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. One by one, add pierogi into the boiling water. Once they float to the top (10-15 minutes into the cooking), they are fully cooked.
• In a buttered pan, sauté onion to a golden brown. Add pierogi to pan. Fry sides of pierogi to a golden brown.

PIEROGIES

Steps:

• Place the sour cream in a large bowl, and mix in flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/16 inch thick, and cut rounds about 3 1/2 inches across using a cookie cutter or a glass. Re-roll the unused dough to make more rounds, up to 4 times -- after that, it gets hard to work with.
• Place about 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes in the center of each dough round, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press and seal the edges with a fork. Set the filled pierogies aside under a towel to prevent drying.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked onions and set aside, leaving butter in the skillet.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and carefully drop a few filled pierogies at a time into the boiling water. After they float to the surface, allow them to gently boil for about 4 minutes.
• Re-heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Gently scoop the pierogies out of the water (they break easily) and place them in the skillet to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Place the fried pierogies on a buttered baking sheet, sprinkle them with the cooked onions, and keep warm in the oven on low setting until served.

GRANDMA'S POLISH PEROGIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
• To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon.

BASIC PIEROGI

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk together egg and sour cream. Whisk in milk and water. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface. (Dough will be loose and sticky.) Using a bench scraper, turn and fold dough to knead, dusting with flour as needed, until elastic and no longer sticky, 8 to 10 minutes. (Dough will come together as you knead it. Be careful not to add too much flour, since it will toughen the dough.) Cover with an inverted bowl; let rest for 1 hour.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean linen towel, and dust generouslywith cornmeal to prevent sticking.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-inch-thick round (keep other pieces covered).
• Cut out circles very close together, using a 3-inch cutter or glass (5 inches for the plum version). Cover with plasticwrap to prevent dough from drying. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Fill pierogi: Place filling in center of each dough circle. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Holding 1 circle in your hand, fold dough over filling. Pinch edges, forming a well-sealed crescent.
• Transfer to cornmeal-dusted towel, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough circles and filling. Working in batches, transfer pierogi to boiling water. They will sink to the bottom and then rise. Once they have risen, cook through, about 2 minutes more (or up to 4 minutes for plum pierogi, depending on ripeness). For savory pierogi, coat a platter with half the butter. Transfer pierogi to platter using a slotted spoon. Drizzle tops with remaining butter, and season with salt. For sweet pierogi, transfer to a platter using a slotted spoon, and dot with sour cream.

MOM'S BEST PIEROGIES

Steps:

• Sauté onions with the butter in a medium sized skillet until translucent.
• Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until they are soft (about 8 minutes).
• Drain.
• Add the cubed cheese and sautéed onions/butter to the drained potatoes and mash (the cheese will melt and combine with the potatoes and onions).
• While potatoes are boiling, combine all dough ingredients and knead on a board or table top for about 5 minutes or until dough does not stick to your hands.
• Add more flour as you knead if necessary.
• Separate dough into two pieces and cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap.
• Allow dough to rest for 20-30 minutes.
• While dough is resting, make balls (about the size of a walnut) out of the potato mixture by rolling the mixture between the palms of your hands.
• Place balls on a waxed paper-lined pizza sheet or board and place another sheet of waxed paper on top.
• Set aside.
• Roll out one of the two dough pieces gently on a lightly floured board or table top.
• Flour dough sparingly as you roll it out, so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.
• Flip the dough over from time to time as you roll it out until it is about 15 inches in diameter (dough should be about 1/8 inch thick).
• Repeat with second piece of dough.
• Cut out dough circles using a drinking glass or cup that is about 2 3/4 inches in diameter.
• Flour your finger tips as you go along.
• Place a potato ball in the middle of each dough cut-out.
• Gently pull the dough over the potato ball and carefully seal ends of dough so it forms a semi-circle (you can seal by pinching end of dough with fingers or you can seal with the end/tines of a fork).
• Make sure there are no air bubbles in the pierogies.
• Boil pierogies on low heat in a large uncovered pot of water (add a teaspoon of oil to water first).
• Boil in batches, 10-15 pierogies at a time, 5 minutes per batch.
• Pierogies will float.
• Drain pierogies and transfer to serving bowl.
• You can pour melted butter and/or extra sautéed onions over top, or serve with dollops of sour cream on top of each pierogi.

HOMEMADE PIEROGI

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour and salt; cover and pulse to blend. Add water, eggs and butter; cover and pulse until dough forms a ball, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed. Let rest, covered, 15 to 30 minutes., Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions in butter until tender; set aside., Drain potatoes. Over very low heat, stir potatoes until steam has evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Press through a potato ricer or strainer into a large bowl. Stir in cream cheese, salt, pepper and onion mixture; set aside., Divide dough into 4 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a floured 3-in. biscuit cutter. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in center of each circle. Moisten edges with water; fold in half and press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil over high heat; add pierogi in batches. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook until pierogi float to the top and are tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. In a large skillet, saute 4 pierogi and onion in butter until pierogi are lightly browned and heated through; sprinkle with parsley. Repeat with remaining pierogi. Freeze option: Place cooled pierogi on waxed paper-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pans; freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight freezer container; freeze up to 3 months. To use, for each serving, in a large skillet, saute 4 pierogi and 1/4 cup chopped onion in 1 tablespoon butter until pierogi are lightly browned and heated through; sprinkle with minced fresh parsley.