The August 2010 Daring Cooks‟ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n‟ Bites and Anula of Anula‟s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogie from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.
My hubby really likes pierogies. When we first moved in together, he would buy the frozen Mrs. T's pierogies and make us the full box for dinner. Sometimes with butter, sometimes plain. I, on the other hand, wouldn't say that pierogies are my favorite.
This challenge snuck up on me - we've been having a fun-filled and packed summer and pierogies weren't on my mind. So tonight I stopped by the store to pick up the ingredients - some potatoes and farmer's cheese for the filling. The dough wasn't too challenging to make - but I had some trouble rolling it out thin enough. I ended up with about five times more filling than I did pierogie shapes. Guess I'll be making more tomorrow! Or finding some way to use up a giant bowl of mashed potatoes and farmers cheese.
For equipment I used a trusty pint glass to cut out the shapes and a fork for crimping. I boiled the pierogies in salted water and after about five minutes they floated to the top. I served them with generous drizzle of olive oil and some fresh basil from my garden. The hubby really enjoyed them. I thought they tasted like the ones in the box, which I guess you could call success! If I made them again I think I would try a sweet & sour cabbage filling or a dessert pierogie.
I used the recipes provided for Russian Pierogies. I used the filling with potatoes and farmers cheese.
This was such a fun challenge! Great pics!
ReplyDeleteChantel@ foodnerdciao.blogspot.com
Delicious! Looks like Chinese dumplings.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your challenge. There certainly are a lot of filling options out there! I bet there is one out there that you will love:) Personally, I love sauerkraut ones....I hope you find one you love too!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Bet your pierogi were delicious with your fresh garden basil. A cabbage filled pierogi is on my list too.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on homemade pierogi and they are very challenging to make. Yours look very authentic! I bet they were delicious. My personal favorites are sauerkraut and just last week, I had the chance to try spinach pierogi that were delicious. Great job, Lara!
ReplyDeleteI love pierogi! But honestly, Mrs. T's don't count. They're nothing like the real thing. I'm sure you noticed that when you made these from scratch! When I make them, I roll out the dough and cut of squares, place the filling inside and seal them up. For more rustic-looking, less hassling pierogi, I suggest skipping the round shape and crimping... I love boiling them and then sauteeing them with onions. Potato and cheese filling is definitely my favorite. Great job on the challenge!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Bet your pierogi were delicious with your fresh garden basil. A cabbage filled pierogi is on my list too.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on homemade pierogi and they are very challenging to make. Yours look very authentic! I bet they were delicious. My personal favorites are sauerkraut and just last week, I had the chance to try spinach pierogi that were delicious. Great job, Lara!
ReplyDelete