Fridge full of vegan sour cream and dill? This called for pierogi, or at least something approximating them. I would probably disapprove of the double-barrelled starchiness of dumpling stuffed with potato, but the Poles have legitimised it and I have eaten it and loved it. They could be appetisers, satisfying snacks or a rolling-on-the-floor-clutching-your-belly gorge-fest depending on when you manage to stop.
Filling: mashed potato, caramelised onions and some o' that pesky dill.
Dough: round and wanton wonton wrappers. Because I'm not rolling dough.
Topping: vegan sour cream with dill and salt, more caramelised onions, faux pepperoni strips (not pictured).
Method: Mix together the filling ingredients, spoon them into the dumpling wrappers and seal into semi-circles using a wet finger. Boil the dumplings until they rise to the water's surface, then fry them on one side in butter or oil until golden. Plonk them onto a plate and garnish with the toppings. Eat with forks or fingers.
Double starch, and double cooking (boiled, then fried? Really necessary?) must somehow neutralise each other, so instead of being obnoxiously excessive, pierogi are just plain lovable.
ReplyDeleteHi Theresa! They sure are lovable. I can't help wondering if the cooking could be simplified by using the simultaneous fry/steam approach I do with Chinese-style dumplings.
DeleteIt's funny that you mentioned that pan frying/steaming! I just read another post about pierogi that used dumpling wrappers which have also been cooked in this style - flickingthevs.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/pierogi-feel-food-fear-and-do-it-anyway.html
DeleteThanks for the link, Mel! Great to know that this approach has passed the test for pierogi. :-)
DeleteHey,
DeleteI run a Polish Catering Stall selling Pierogi at The Suzuki Night market held in Melbourne Queen Vic Market and can say there's no real way around the boiling process. The best way to cook them is to place them in boiling water, stir gently and once the water boils turn to a simmer. about 5-7 minutes. Once they start to float turn of the gas and place the lid on and let them sit bobbing on the surface for about 1 minute. This is important so that they plump up. Then fry with a combination of butter and oil. However i have steamed them in the past but the result isn't the best. The outside dough softens too much and the inside doesn't get above 65c.
One method my Babcia use to do was boil them, cool in the fridge then freeze. (This fridge cooling is important so you don't get large Macro-ice crystal build-up as they won't fry properly). You then simply remove them from the freezer and place them into a medium heat frying pan and cook each side till golden.
I hope this helps :)
Also you might like to add one tablespoon of Polski Ogorki pickling liquid to your sour cream and dill mix. It gives it a little extra kick!
Cheers
Rohan
easternbloc.com.au
info@easternbloc.com.au
Welcome, Rohan! Thanks so much for sharing your pierogi knowledge with us - I'll definitely refer to it next time I try making some. We have a few extras in the freezer right now, although sadly I didn't think to boil them first.
DeleteSounds so good - probably better in cold weather but I too have dill and I just can't remember why I bought it and everytime I have a dill recipe it gets forgotten quickly. And sounds like a great recipe to comfort us over the sad closure of court jester
ReplyDeleteJohanna, yes! I miss Court Jester too.
DeleteAaaah! One of my two brand-new-as-of-today housemates just left to eat pierogis here in Toronto. What with this, and the previous post about chocolate peanut butter pretzel treats.... ARE YOU IN MY BRAIN?!
ReplyDeleteWE'RE IN UR BRAINZ, HANNAH! It looks much like the inside of Willa Wonka's chocolate factory, except with more nut butter. ;-)
DeleteAwesome! I am going to try these. Shaz and I thoroughly enjoyed the pierogi we had here http://www.veselka.com/index2.html the other day.
ReplyDeleteOh hai wkmor1! I hope they're a worthy substitute for the ones you've bragged about eating in NYC.
DeleteI spent a year in Poland, and ate far, far too many of these. Our local restaurant was rather short on non-porky options - it was either pierogi ruskie or potato pancakes which appeared to have been deep fried in a vat of oil.
ReplyDeleteHave never thought about making my own, though! Perhaps a project for the next few weeks, as temperatures sink back under OC.
Hi Lauren! That must've been a very starchy year, but I guess you've recovered sufficiently if you're considering making pierogi yourself. :-)
DeleteWhat a fantastic idea to use dumpling wrappers to speed up the process! I absolutely adored the potato, onion and dill pierogi from Vegan Eats World but they took way too long to prepare with rolling out the dough circles. I'll definitely skip that step next time and use some wrappers instead!
ReplyDeleteHi Mel - I'd be interested to discover whether you detect much difference between the home-rolled and cheater versions.
DeleteOmg yum, amazing. Dough, potatoes, sour cream and onions are some of my favourite things!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah! I should be surprised, given your affect for German cuisine. :-)
DeleteHi Cindy and Michael,
ReplyDeleteI've been watching your blog for years and thought it was time I left a comment. Your recipes are truly inspiring and I love both your writing styles. So witty and funny. I've also frequented many of the eateries you've reviewed and even trekked all the way out to Preston (from Elsternwick) because I just had to try those yummo pea and haloumi fritters at Jackson Dodds.
Thank you so much for providing such an entertaining, informative and persistent vegetarian blog. Seventh year running and you still post every few days. That's rare.
Looking forward to a whole lot more of your veggie goodness in 2013.
Lisa
Lisa, thanks for such a lovely comment! Glad you've plucked up the courage to write after reading for so long. :-)
DeleteHope I remember these when winter comes back. I don't think I'd survive them in a QLD summer :)
ReplyDeleteAnna - yeah, they're not ideally suited for summer, but at least they don't require an oven. :-)
DeleteYou know, I never even thought of putting pierogi filling in dumpling wrappers, and I've wanted to make them for so long. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Matt! Go forth and wrap lazily.
Delete