# Perogies?



## Angie

Does anyone have a good recipe for potato perogies?  Last (and first) time I tried to make them they were very doughy.  I had a heck of a time rolling the dough out and it kept shrinking.  My filling was great (potatos, green onions, bacon, cheeses) but that dough gave me one heck of a time!

Thanks!


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## Alix

My perohe dough is as follows.

3 cups of flour
one egg in a measuring cup beaten, fill to the one cup mark with water, then add about 1/4 cup oil

Stir liquid into dry and mix until dough is smooth. Let it sit for at least an hour before you try to work it. 

Roll it out to a bit less than 1/4 inch thickness and make your perogies from there. Good luck.


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## Angie

Sounds wonderful..Thank you!


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## Alix

Let me know how it turns out.


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## Angie

I will.  I have some garlic mashed potatoes I need to use up.  Maybe tomorrow!


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## Alix

Mmmmmmmmm...add some cheese to those and they will be PERFECT.


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## urmaniac13

Alix said:
			
		

> My perohe dough is as follows.
> 
> 3 cups of flour
> one egg in a measuring cup beaten, fill to the one cup mark with water, then add about 1/4 cup oil
> 
> Stir liquid into dry and mix until dough is smooth. *Let it sit for at least an hour before you try to work it. *
> 
> Roll it out to a bit less than 1/4 inch thickness and make your perogies from there. Good luck.


 
this can be the key to make your dough more manageable.  I usually cover my dough with a wet cloth when I am making a pasta dough...

I can't remember the name right now but someone from Poland joined DC not long ago...  I asked him about pierogie, I hope he will post the authentic recipe soon...


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## thumpershere2

I started making my perogies out of wanton wrappers. EAsier and alot less time. TaAst is a little different but not so much when fries in butter. I make them about 4 times a year. Have to say tho that the best ones are still made from scratch.There are perogie recipes at www.foodnetwork.com and www.allrecipies.com aand I think some here in past poste.Try a search.


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## Alix

Urmaniac, if it counts, mine is direct from the Ukraine.


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## CharlieD

Forget the pirogy (why are they called that I don't know, probably Polish), any way make turnovers. Ready made pastry dough, bake, done, mmmmmm


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## CharlieD

Alix, 1/4" is very thick, very-very thick for the dough. In Ukraine you'd be fired as a cook.


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## urmaniac13

Alix said:
			
		

> Urmaniac, if it counts, mine is direct from the Ukraine.


 
Wow... I just did a quick search and yeah, there are also Ukrainian pierogies... I didn't know!!  Probably some of the eastern european dishes are kinda mingled and spread around the way many of the mediterranean items do.  That was a lesson of the day!!


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## urmaniac13

CharlieD said:
			
		

> Alix, 1/4" is very thick, very-very thick for the dough. In Ukraine you'd be fired as a cook.


 
it could have been a confusion between centimetre and inch when the recipe was translated... that makes more sense ... 1/4 cm (2,5mm), though it seems to be still on a thick side...


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## CharlieD

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> Wow... I just did a quick search and yeah, there are also Ukrainian pierogies... I didn't know!! Probably some of the eastern european dishes are kinda mingled and spread around the way many of the mediterranean items do. That was a lesson of the day!!


 
 No-no-no, it is Ukrainian pierogies (that are, by the way, called Vareniki) that spread out to miditerranian, otherwise you guys'd be eating tomatoes only, (just joking)


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## CharlieD

P.S. no confusion on thickness, they should not be more than 1/8" thick. 1/4" is about 6mm


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## Alix

Oh for goodness sakes...I said LESS than 1/4 inch! I don't measure my dough, I just roll it. LOL. 1/8 is pretty thin and you will need to be pretty careful with your filling if you roll it that thin. Get it CLOSE to that. This is not an exact science by any means.

Also, this dough will spring back when you roll it so expect that to happen. The idea is to roll it out and get the rough shape and then shape it with your hands when you fill it. 

I like to cut the dough into squares and then make a sort of pocket in the center and then seal it corner to corner so you have little triangular shaped dumplings.

Charlie, you goofball! I'd be fired for sure since I wouldn't cook that 50 year old beef! LMAO. And my Guido called the potato stuffed ones perohe, not vareniki. He called something else vareniki...the sweet ones I think.


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## CharlieD

Okay, I went and posted on mine other forum (the russian one) to get the vareniki thing cleared. I tend to think that it has to do more with location, more than anything. If you lived closer to Poland, then you'd call it pirogi, if one is from more eastern part of ukrain, then it is vareniki. BTW I love vareniki with all types of fillings. 

Oh, and the thiner the dough the better.


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## Alix

Thanks Charlie, I suspected it would be something like a regional difference. 

OK, related question for you. Do you ever eat the dough bits that break off the perohe? And what do you call them?


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## jpmcgrew

If your dough is springing back when you roll it roll it out some then let it rest a few minutes then continue rolling it should roll out fine then.


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## Angie

I made them and they were WONDERFUL!  Thank you Alix for your dough recipe.

I used leftover garlic mashed tators. I added green onions, sour cream, shredded colby jack and crumbled bacon.  If I wasn't stuffed, I'd be eating more right now!!

One more question:  I have extra dough. Is there anything I can do with it besides toss it?

Thanks!


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## Alix

You can fill it with lots of stuff. Sauerkraut, cottage cheese, sweet fillings (apple pie stuff, cherry pie stuff, etc) you get the idea. OR...you can just cut it into pieces, boil them and serve them with lots of butter, bacon and sour cream. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!


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## Angie

Yummm....cherry pie filling...and drizzle a frosting over it...


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## urmaniac13

CharlieD said:
			
		

> No-no-no, it is Ukrainian pierogies (that are, by the way, called Vareniki)


 
Ah... Vareniki... I have heard of them, just didn't put two and two together!!


Angie, sweet filling will be great...  we do the same thing with crepes, when there are extra crepes left after making our dinner crepes, we just throw in jams, whipped cream etc and make desserts out of them, and  out...


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## CharlieD

Looks like Pirogy comes from Polish. Everybody I talked to think that it wasn't used in Ukraine. Though I did not talk to anybody from Western Ukraine, that borders Poland, so it could be that they also use that term. 
Alix, do you know where your Grandma was from?


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## urmaniac13

CharlieD said:
			
		

> Looks like Pirogy comes from Polish. Everybody I talked to think that it wasn't used in Ukraine. Though I did not talk to anybody from Western Ukraine, that borders Poland, so it could be that they also use that term.
> Alix, do you know where your Grandma was from?


 
It is probably the same thing as Baklava (among many other delicacies from that region), it could be called Greek, just as well it could be also Turkish. They are geographically so close certain aspects of culinary tradition sort of mingle together.  
Well... at the end of the day the most important thing is that *they are good stuff...*


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## Debbie

this was on food network the other day... and I never made it.. but I will soon. It looks VERY easy and delicious - just ignore the caesar salad part. 

Pyrogies and Caesar Salad

EDIT NOTE: This recipe is on the FoodNetwork CANADA website


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## ronjohn55

Everything in this thread has looked great, except for one thing, true authentic pierogi dough would use a solid fat like butter or preferably lard. That being said, when we get together at Christmas to make them, we use oil.  

(And a VERY similar recipe to Alix's - we use an egg AND a cup of water though)

As for the leftover dough, we never have that problem, my cousins just start looking for other things to use as fillings when there's dough left. Tomatos, jelly from the fridge, it really does get quite ugly sometimes... (probably has to do with all the beer and vodka)  

We always make sure we don't bring any of the "special" pierogi home. My personal favorite is the mashed potato and cheese. My dad likes the kraut filled ones. Nobody on our side tends to care for the cheese filled. 

John


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## Debbie

well, yesterday I made the recipe from the food network, and it was the first time I made them....  and they tasted really good.. but did not look all brown like that picture.. after I boiled them.. they were kinda soggy.. and I had to be VERY careful when I put them back into the pan with the onions or they would fall apart, so they were soft...   ok guys so whats the secret so they are not like that.  They were delicious and the dough was great, but I would like to have a better presentation...    any hints???


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## Alix

Well, I can't speak for the recipe you used as the dough looks like it would be a bit softer than the one I use...BUT...as a general rule you scoop them out as soon as they start to float. When they float, they're done. Would that help you think?

Ronjohn, LMAO at the vodka and beer bit. I can soooooo relate to that. We never have extra dough either, but that is because we just make smaller and smaller perohe til its used up and then toss in the bits to boil with everything else.

AND...as to the oil vs butter or lard, very true! My Babby (gramma) used to use melted butter in hot water and let it cool a bit before using. Got to be careful with that egg thing though! I just use oil because it is faster and easier. Dang I'm lazy!


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## Debbie

well, recipe said to boil them 4 minutes.. do you think that is to much?


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## Alix

Yep. Mine float way sooner than that. You really have to have the water at a full rolling boil the whole time too.


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## Debbie

Alix said:
			
		

> Yep. Mine float way sooner than that. You really have to have the water at a full rolling boil the whole time too.


 
ok kewl.. I still have some in the freezer.. I will try that then 

thank you  Alix

weeeeeeeeeeeeee


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## Alix

My pleasure. Let me know if you ever use my dough recipe and tell me how it stacked up with the other one. I'm always open to feedback.


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## Constance

Alix, I've never made piroghi, but your dough sounds exactly like the one I use for my rolled dumplings, minus the oil. Once, when I was making a huge batch of chicken and dumplings for company, I ended up with more dough than I needed. I had left-over filling from making cheese-stuffed shells in the freezer, so I used that to make ravioli, which I boiled and sauced in the usual way, and it was quite a good dish. Now you've given me the confidence to try the piroghi.


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## Alix

Constance, I hope you do, it really is very easy. Time consuming, but easy. I suggest to folks that you make a BIG batch and invite some friends over for a perohe making party and everyone goes home with a bag of them. Much fun!

The recipe is pretty similar to dumplings and one of the pasta recipes I have. Its very versatile and tastes soooooo good.

Let me know how they work out for you!


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## rickell

*made them yesterday*

I love perogies, so does my family, I used to get them shipped into
Kansas City from Chicago, there is no good polish food here.

This time I decided to make them myself actually my daughters helped.

I made them with a meat filling I cooked a pork tenderlion with onions
mushrooms, saurkraut with some of the juice and apple juice overnight
in a low heat crockpot.  Then shredded and chopped the meat finely.

Boiled them and then fried in butter with onions until brown.

My kids loved them and asked to take more out of the freezer so
they could take them to school for lunch, so I did and my husband
ate them all.   I will need to make again.   Meat perogies are the best
I have had many flavors, my mother inlaw is polish and has turned my
family on to these wonderful treats.    Well worth the home made efforts
frozen ones really don't cut it.


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## Erik

I used to be the chef at a Eastern European cafe quite a few years back. It was just myself and 2 others, and I couldn't keep up unless I spent my off day making Pierogies for about 10 hours!!!


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## flukx

*Pierogies*

I spent a little over a year living in Krakow, Poland recently and had the pleasure of eating authentic pierogies a number of times.  While I cant say I ever succeeded in making my own (they fell apart, or were too doughy, and I eventually gave up as they are incredibly cheap and tasty to just buy).  However, I can offer some observations.

First, while the traditional way of cooking pierogies is to simply boil them, many times I encountered a fried version that were also very tasty and a harder texture.  Also, whether fried or boiled, they are always served with little pieces of fried lard (fried onions are sometimes substituted, but not as common).  While sauces are also not traditional, I encountered at more "hip" pierogi places a variety of simple cream sauces.  Some people use soy sauce as well (personally, I think soy sauce is fantastic with pierogies).  

Probably the most traditional Polish pierogi is the Pierogi Ruskie (Russian pierogi), which is filled with mashed potatoes and a type of cream/cottage cheese.  Also common are the Pierogi z ziemniakami i Grzybami (mashed potatoes and mushrooms) and Pierogi miesny (pierogi with ground beef).  While I have, again, found a number of variations (ground lamb, chicken, turkey, spinach, etc) these are by far the most common.  Serve with a warm beetroot soup and follow up with a shot of Zybrowka (vodka with a blade of bison grass in the bottle) and you have yourself a traditional polish meal.

Smacznego! (bon appetit!)


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## flukx

*Pierogi Scrap Dough*

Also, there is a Scrap Dough thread with a bunch of ideas for your remaining dough pieces:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f23/scrap-dough-ideas-19725.html


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## flukx

*Pierogies*

One last thing to add:

When making pierogies, since the process of rolling, stuffing, securing the dough takes a lot of time, it is best to make a whole bunch at once (enlist the help of others) and freeze the remainders.  They freeze well and they make a really quick meal later on (no defrost necessary, just throw into salted, boiling water).


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## urmaniac13

Thanks Flukx for the detailed info on the Polish pierogies!!  My favourite is indeed the classic one with potatoes and cheese.  I don't know much about Polish gastronomic culture, but the little I know, they are very nice.  Of course pierogies are wonderful, then this delicious dessert pychotka, and I find some of their chocolates and candies excellent.  Can you tell us more about your culinary experience in Krakow?  I, for one, will be very interested!!


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## SizzlininIN

You know I never heard of these lil buggers till a friend of mine told me her daughter was home and requested she make them for her.  I guess its something special she made every now and then.  I'll have to give them a try sometime.


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## flukx

*Polish food*

I am not sure you could label my time in Krakow as a culinary experience, as the cuisine is fairly simple (meat and potatoes and cabbage).  Ethnic food in Krakow is virtually non-existant despite the best attempts by some.  I once got fajitas at the "best" Mexican restaurant and I ended up getting a pool of oil with some vegetables and unseasoned chicken.  Oh, and cabbage of course.  Anyhow, I can give you an idea of a few traditional dishes.

Borscht, or beetroot soup is very common.  I  never tried making it myself, but it comes in a variety of formats.  I am sure there are recipes abound available either on DC or elsewhere.

Bigos, or "farmers stew" is basically a lot of grated cabbage/sauerkraut that was "marinated" in vinegar, with whatever meat is available (kielbasa, pork, bacon bits are most common), onion, a small amount of tomato paste/sauce, salt, peppers, whatever spices on hand.

Golabki (pronounced go-womp-key, approximately), which is similar to bigos except the contents are wrapped in a parboiled cabbage leaf with cooked rice and then baked for an hour or two with a tomato souplike sauce.  

Sledzie marynowane, or pickled herring, is quite popular, especially around Christmas (they eat TWELVE courses for Christmas dinner, I wont even begin to explain, but it symbolizes twelve months/apostles...)  Quite simple, really. Take salt herring and a few peppercorns and soak in cold water for 24 hours, changing every 8 hours or so.  Remove the milt, skin, bones and cut each herring into 4 pieces.  Chop two onions and layer the onions and herring in a jar and pour boiled vinegar and 1 tspn sugar into jar and let sit in a cool place overnight.

Another common thing is to make dumplings stuffed with fruit such as peach or apricots.  Basically a simple german type Knodel (dumpling) made from mashed potatoes, flour, and egg with the dough rolled around the fruit.  Served with a butter/cream/sugar sauce.  

Well, there are a few ideas.  Mostly just a variation on the meat and potatoes diet.  A lot of cabbage, pork cutlets, and boiled potatoes.


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## BrianMorin

Alix said:
			
		

> My perohe dough is as follows.
> 
> 3 cups of flour
> one egg in a measuring cup beaten, fill to the one cup mark with water, then add about 1/4 cup oil
> 
> Stir liquid into dry and mix until dough is smooth. Let it sit for at least an hour before you try to work it.
> 
> Roll it out to a bit less than 1/4 inch thickness and make your perogies from there. Good luck.



Do you think these rolls would work well with egg rolls also?


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## BrianMorin

Debbie said:
			
		

> Pyrogies & Caesar Salad
> Yield: 4




Nice looking recipe 

Thanks


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## BrianMorin

Debbie said:
			
		

> well, yesterday I made the recipe from the food network, and it was the first time I made them....  and they tasted really good.. but did not look all brown like that picture.. after I boiled them.. they were kinda soggy.. and I had to be VERY careful when I put them back into the pan with the onions or they would fall apart, so they were soft...   ok guys so whats the secret so they are not like that.  They were delicious and the dough was great, but I would like to have a better presentation...    any hints???



You'll have to ask Alex or RonJohn to make sure, but is it possible that you were using a pastry flour and the recipe calls for a bread or hard flour???


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## BreezyCooking

After finding this place:  http://www.milliespierogi.com/  I would never bother making them myself again.  I've even sent pierogi as gifts from this place, & the thanks were effusive.


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## Debbie

Alix said:
			
		

> My perohe dough is as follows.
> 
> 3 cups of flour
> one egg in a measuring cup beaten, fill to the one cup mark with water, then add about 1/4 cup oil
> 
> Stir liquid into dry and mix until dough is smooth. Let it sit for at least an hour before you try to work it.
> 
> Roll it out to a bit less than 1/4 inch thickness and make your perogies from there. Good luck.


 
ok I am gonna try this again.. using your recipe.. after you boil them...  what exactly do you do with them.. to get the nice texture.   step by step so they don't turn mushy again


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## Brandon

Alix said:
			
		

> Oh for goodness sakes...I said LESS than 1/4 inch! I don't measure my dough, I just roll it. LOL. 1/8 is pretty thin and you will need to be pretty careful with your filling if you roll it that thin. Get it CLOSE to that. This is not an exact science by any means.
> 
> Also, this dough will spring back when you roll it so expect that to happen. The idea is to roll it out and get the rough shape and then shape it with your hands when you fill it.
> 
> I like to cut the dough into squares and then make a sort of pocket in the center and then seal it corner to corner so you have little triangular shaped dumplings.
> 
> Charlie, you goofball! I'd be fired for sure since I wouldn't cook that 50 year old beef! LMAO. And my Guido called the potato stuffed ones perohe, not vareniki. He called something else vareniki...the sweet ones I think.


 
My Baba is from Ukraine, her and the rest of  my family call them petehea (not sure on the spelling)-pronounced PET AH HEH. Ive never heard anyone else call pierogies this name before. Is this the name for a different type of pierogi? just curious...


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## Alix

Brandon, thats how we pronounce them too and my dad spelled them perohe.


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## CharlieD

Alix, he is talking about completely different thing, Petuhee is what he is saying, are not perogy/perohe. I never heard it called that. Petuhee is a word that means roosters.


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## Alix

Charlie, I think it must be a dialectical thing. What he is describing is EXACTLY what we always called "pet e he". However, when spelled out it looks different. 

You are a little closer to the "old country" than the rest of us. I do suspect however that there are regional differences in pronunciation and then when folks emigrate their pronunciation changes even further as they learn a new language and their kids (and grandkids) learn the words a bit differently. 

Brandon's word, as I said, is exactly how we have pronounced it, and his description is what we make too.


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## Alix

Peppermint leaves? Have you ever done that mish?


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## Alix

Nope, I'm a purist. I only ever do cheese and potato filling. I've tried lots of other ones, (including a sauerkraut filling) but the potato is just the way to go IMO. I was just curious about the mint taste in there.


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## CharlieD

okay, ladies when are you going to be making all of the above, i'm coming over. i love vareniki, oh fine call them perohy, but not peetuhy. i actually just made some with potato, of course by the time i got home the all potatoes were gone, all that was left was meat, but i did not like eat. the leftover meat i had was ot the best tasting meat.


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## CharlieD

Ah, who needs liver it's cholesterol in it's purist form. I think even shmaltz is healthier. I do not like liver. But kosher Liver bratwurst I had in Issrael was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good and it remind me of my childhood that I would not mind some of that right now. I like to use stewed chicken for filling, if it's meat filling.


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## Tiffeny

I just scanned through this thread…between making dinner (beef stew and dumplings) and chasing my three year old son, Avery. Thought I would add a Rumanian twist to the mix. This recipe comes from a book produced by my grandma’s church back in the 60’s or 70’s I would guess. The recipe was submitted by Count Dracula (LOL) and is for “Roumanian Perogies”

4 cups flour
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

Mix like pie crust.

Add: 
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups warm water

Mix to a soft dough. Let stand for 15 minutes, cover with a bowl before rolling out.

I usually will make a large batch and freeze as them on floured cookie sheets and then pop them into freezer bags for later.


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## schllac

CharlieD said:


> Alix, he is talking about completely different thing, Petuhee is what he is saying, are not perogy/perohe. I never heard it called that. Petuhee is a word that means roosters.


 
It may be they called them Petuhee which means Rooster, because the look like the Comb on the roosters head...


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## Zhizara

Wow, 2006 thread!


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## Addie

Zhizara said:


> Wow, 2006 thread!


 
Yeah! It always amazes me how very old threads are revived.


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## letscook

Having made a zillion perogies in my married life of 35 yrs. My polish inlaws would host a perogie making party, we all had stations and it was a long day with perogies to eat at the end. We would make them and freeze for when we wanted them. We would make  alot of them at a time. She would store them in her freezer and when you wanted some you just stop up and grab a doz. When they ran out another party.
We boil them- drop them into the boiling water and when float take them out and place on a rack to let the water dry off ( thats if you can resist eating one )then single layer them in a bag and freeze. to eat - fry in butter with onions till lightly brown and serve with sour cream.
Here is our dough, they are so tender.
Perogies, 
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs 
1 stick of butter melted 
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
Beat eggs, add milk, butter, and sour cream
Add four to mixture gradually till dough is workable
rough out thin and cut circles out to desired size
Place 1-2 tbl filling (depending on size of cut out) on 1/2 of circle
brush (or use your finger) dip into water and lightly wet 1/2 of circle
fold over the other half and pinch dough together.
drop into boiling water and when float remove form boiling water and let drain.( thats if you can resist eating one )
Note: change your water often when water gets cloudy.
         I always have 2 pots going one using and the other on stand by and alternate while one is coming to a boil again.

our fillings we use
Potato and cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 sauted onion
salt & pepper to taste

Sauerkraut
saute
1 onion diced
add
1 lg can of sauerkraut
add 1/4 cup sour cream

we also use our kapusta as filling.

We eat these with keilbasa, ham, and kapusta.

Enjoy.


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## schllac

For the potato and cheese ratio can I safely say that it is 1 pound  (16 oz) of potatoes to a 1/2 pound (8 oz) of cheese. I want to make quanities and I looking for consistency.


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## CWS4322

When I make perogies, I make 12 dozen at a time. I use 10 lb potatoes, 2 lb bacon, and 2-3 lb grated cheese, 1 LARGE white spanish onion. I make the filling the day before, shape it (kinda like a little cigar--I have a small scoop that is the perfect size for the size of ring I use to cut the dough) and put it in a large tupperware rectangular pan (layers of waxed paper between) overnight. To make the dough:

750 ml of flour
500 ml of sour cream (need about 5 tubs of sour cream for this)

You process each batch of dough 1 tub of sour cream at a time. This is an all day affair. Put the sour cream and flour in a food processor. Process until a ball forms. Roll out in batches (about 1/3 of the ball) on a large, floured surface. Cut and fill. In a large pot of boiling water, drop 12 perogies at a time. Boil 1 minute. Transfer to a large stainless bowl to which 1 T of butter is added. Toss. Put in ziplock bag--lay on a cookie sheet flat so that when put in the freezer they freeze flat, not stuck together. The butter keeps them from sticking together so you can thaw for about 7 minutes in the microwave (defrost setting) and cook as you wish (panfried, boiled, in the oven).


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## letscook

agree with cws4322 should of put that in there--- make a batch of dough 1 at a time- if you don't you will work the dough to much and it would become tough.
Will have to try your filling CWS sounds good, but anything with bacon is always good
also cook the potatoes and then just mash them - do not mean make mash potatoes. depending on the size of your potatoes -how many to cook to get 2 cups of mashed. per batch - we also refridge overnight the fillings makes it better to seal dough. we use a ice cream/cookie scoop so all are same size about walnut size for the filling and the dough cut out is a approx 4" cut out.


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## schllac

CWS4322 said:


> When I make perogies, I make 12 dozen at a time. I use 10 lb potatoes, 2 lb bacon, and 2-3 lb grated cheese, 1 LARGE white spanish onion. I make the filling the day before, shape it (kinda like a little cigar--I have a small scoop that is the perfect size for the size of ring I use to cut the dough) and put it in a large tupperware rectangular pan (layers of waxed paper between) overnight. To make the dough:
> 
> 750 ml of flour
> 500 ml of sour cream (need about 5 tubs of sour cream for this)
> 
> You process each batch of dough 1 tub of sour cream at a time. This is an all day affair. Put the sour cream and flour in a food processor. Process until a ball forms. Roll out in batches (about 1/3 of the ball) on a large, floured surface. Cut and fill. In a large pot of boiling water, drop 12 perogies at a time. Boil 1 minute. Transfer to a large stainless bowl to which 1 T of butter is added. Toss. Put in ziplock bag--lay on a cookie sheet flat so that when put in the freezer they freeze flat, not stuck together. The butter keeps them from sticking together so you can thaw for about 7 minutes in the microwave (defrost setting) and cook as you wish (panfried, boiled, in the oven).


 

What kind of grated cheese do you use in the filling ?


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## Rocklobster

I like making a casserole with perogies. I lay some fried onions in a casserole, perogies, thin layer of sour cream, then sauerkraut topped with bacon. Bake this on high until the top gets a bit crispy..It shouldn't take long because everything except the sour cream should be assembled while freshly cooked and still hot...


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## taxlady

CWS, I'm confused. Do you mean 750 ml of flour for each 500 ml tub of sour cream? Any idea how much 750 ml of flour weighs?


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## CWS4322

TL--Yup--I use a 750 ml empty (and clean) yogurt container to measure the flour. I was taught how to make this recipe "hands on" so make it the way I was taught. I think I usually use 2% fat sour cream--the whole fat dough makes perogies that are hard to pan fry. For the butter--take 1 quarter (stick for you lucky folks in the States who get butter in quarters) and cut it into 16 equal portions.

I usually use cheddar cheese (I prefer the white cheddar) and bacon from the butcher. I cook the onions in an electric frying pan to which I have added some of the bacon fat. I put the bacon (after it is cooked) between two pieces of paper towel on a cutting board and roll with a rolling pin to break it up. I make the mashed potatoes as usual, add the onion, bacon, and grated cheese while the potatoes are still warm.

Rock--I too have made a similar casserole dish using perogies. I also have done one with tomato sauce from one of the Best of Bridge cookbooks.


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## CWS4322

I have all the ingredients for perogies except I am not going to do 12-13 dozen--I don't have the time this weekend. Instead, I am going to do 1//5th of a batch and record everything so I can share (afterall, who has time to mash 10 lb of potatoes and make 12-13 dozen perogies)?


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## Addie

CWS4322 said:


> I have all the ingredients for perogies except I am not going to do 12-13 dozen--I don't have the time this weekend. Instead, I am going to do 1//5th of a batch and record everything so I can share (after all, who has time to mash 10 lb of potatoes and make 12-13 dozen perogies)?


 
You mean you are not a lady of leisure?


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## CharlieD

I do not have patience to make a lot. Too busy usually anyways. Make enough for family dinner is as much as I can handle, (leftover dough goes into pasta) unless my mother, she should be alive and well, comes over and she makes me seat and keep making them. Then I can go for a hundred or so, while she makes about 2 hundred at the same time. 
But it really is a good time for the reminder; I am planning on making some meat pierohies’ this Sunday. Whoever dug this thread out thank you.


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## Kayelle

Rocklobster said:


> I like making a casserole with perogies. I lay some fried onions in a casserole, perogies, thin layer of sour cream, then sauerkraut topped with bacon. Bake this on high until the top gets a bit crispy..It shouldn't take long because everything except the sour cream should be assembled while freshly cooked and still hot...



*You're killin me rock!  That sounds deeeelectable!!

Trader Joe's carries perogies so I won't be going to the trouble of making them right now because I MUST make your casserole ASAP!!

*


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## CWS4322

The perogie casserole I make uses about 1 lb of perogies, 2 large onions, sliced thin, 1 c sliced fresh mushrooms, 2 c of diced tomatoes (I use ones I've frozen, but you could use canned). I thaw the perogies in the microwave for about 10 minutes. I then boil the perogies for about 5 minutes. While the perogies are thawing, I saute the onion and mushroom. I then add 1 c chicken or vegetable stock, parsley, and the tomatoes. Simmer that for about 5 minutes. Dump the perogies into a greased casserole dish, top with the tomato-onion mixture, cover, and bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Sometimes I add chopped cooked bacon.


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## schllac

What kind do you make Charley D, I am looking for a good cabbage recipe, but I need to know the yield for 4 inch circle. Does anyone have one ?


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## CharlieD

Do not have exact measurements. I usually saute some onions till golden brown, add cabbage, coleslaw is a convenient to use, and keep sauteing, when slaw reduced I add a little bit of sour crouwt and keep cooking stirring occasionally until it is brown in color. season to taste, salt, pepper, whatever else you like. when ready put it into a colander and let it drain well, you do not want liquid when making pirogies.


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## schllac

How well does it have to drain?


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## CWS4322

CharlieD, I was thinking of draining some of my homemade sauerkraut and adding some that to the potato filling...my thought was to rinse the 'kraut and wring it out in a clean dish cloth like one does with frozen spinach...the only time I tried sauerkraut filling, it was too wet (now I know why).

Also, has anyone made the dough with whole wheat flour? I usually use AP but am trying to eliminate "white" from my diet. BTW, I freeze the leftover dough and it works fine to make more perogies later. The potato filling, however, does not freeze well.

I'm counting out how many potatoes are in a 10 lb bag...I'm dividing that by 2/5 (I have two tubs of sour cream) so that I make 2/5ths of the batch I normally make with a 10 lb bag of potatoes. I'll let you know how much filling I got out of those potatoes.


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## CWS4322

CharlieD said:


> Do not have exact measurements. I usually saute some onions till golden brown, add cabbage, coleslaw is a convenient to use, and keep sauteing, when slaw reduced I add a little bit of sour crouwt and keep cooking stirring occasionally until it is brown in color. season to taste, salt, pepper, whatever else you like. when ready put it into a colander and let it drain well, you do not want liquid when making pirogies.


+1 you've seen my recipe--no exact measurements for that, either. Like you probably learned to make perogies from your mom (and we won't even try to explain the technique for wrapping the dough around the filling), I learned how to make perogies under the tutelage of an experienced perogie maker.


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## schllac

Charles,
What do you put in your potato filling, and what proportions


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## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> CWS, I'm confused. Do you mean 750 ml of flour for each 500 ml tub of sour cream? Any idea how much 750 ml of flour weighs?


I'll weigh the flour tomorrow (or Sunday--I might make the filling tomorrow instead of tonight) when I make the dough. And, just for you, TL, I picked up an extra container of sour cream to try making the dough with wholewheat flour.I am thinking I might have to add a bit of cream of tartar or baking soda to the flour...

Gosh, now the pressure is on--not only have I committed to making perogies, I have to take pictures and measure / weigh everything! Should this be a "perogie cookoff" challenge? Ha-ha, CharlieD has the advantage. I'm of Scandinavian heritage, trust me, perogies were not part of my culinary experience growing up.


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## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> I'll weigh the flour tomorrow (or Sunday--I might make the filling tomorrow instead of tonight) when I make the dough. And, just for you, TL, I picked up an extra container of sour cream to try making the dough with wholewheat flour.I am thinking I might have to add a bit of cream of tartar or baking soda to the flour...
> 
> Gosh, now the pressure is on--not only have I committed to making perogies, I have to take pictures and measure / weigh everything! Should this be a "perogie cookoff" challenge? Ha-ha, CharlieD has the advantage. I'm of Scandinavian heritage, trust me, perogies were not part of my culinary experience growing up.


If it gets to be too much, then don't worry about it.

I would try the recipe the way it is written, just plain substitute whole grain for the AP flour. That's what I have been doing with most recipes for years and years. Sure, I use pastry flour for some stuff and bread flour for other stuff, but I haven't found that much, if anything, usually needs to be changed.


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## CWS4322

Waiting for the batteries to recharge. 1 lb of bacon is about 1 cup crumbled.


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## CWS4322

This like RockLobster's onion soup...

First you make the filling. I started with 1.5 lb of thickly sliced bacon...9 cups of potatoes, 1 c onion, 1 c shredded cheese (upped that to 2), 2 c rinsed and squeezed dried sauerkraut, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground garlic, ground black pepper, 1 tsp dry mustard. I used sour cream, butter, milk, some bacon fat to mash the potatoes. Lots of pics--sorry. I like the little kick of cayenne pepper. Now to shape the filling and chill it. Those pics to follow.


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## Zhizara

Yeah!  Keep 'em coming CWS.  Sounds really good!


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## CWS4322

I let the filling cool for about 20 minutes. The quantity I made (9 c potatoes before mashing + 2 c sauerkraut + cheese + onions + bacon) = 10 dozen portions of filling.


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## CWS4322

Now I'm taking a nap while the dw runs and the filling sets...


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## schllac

CWS4322 said:


> Now I'm taking a nap while the dw runs and the filling sets...


 
What do you mean "while the filling sets" , is this something you have to do and why.

Your pictures are great !!!

I like when recipes are done like this with the quantities of each, this way you get consistency.

Like I tell my wife, I don"t have recipes, I have Formulas... LOL

Thanks for the pics


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## CWS4322

schllac said:


> What do you mean "while the filling sets" , is this something you have to do and why.
> 
> Your pictures are great !!!
> 
> I like when recipes are done like this with the quantities of each, this way you get consistency.
> 
> Like I tell my wife, I don"t have recipes, I have Formulas... LOL
> 
> Thanks for the pics


I'd like to say there is a reason for it, but the best reason I can come up with is that I'd like a nap and the drone the DW makes puts me to sleep! The filling is in the fridge so it will be firmer when I go to wrap the dough around it. Ideally, I let the filling sit overnight, but since I was too lazy to make the filling last night (although I did do the bacon and peel the potatoes), the filling is setting in the fridge until later this afternoon. The filling is covered so it won't dry out. I don't know that you have to let the filling set, but that is how I was taught to make perogies with mashed potato filling.


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## schllac

Ok CW you had your nappy poo, LOL are you going to continue the pierog extravaganza, I am anxious to see the end result in pictures....


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## CharlieD

As far as draining goes, I just leave the cabage in the colander for maybe half an hour and it stays there as i make the pirogies. It is not too big of a deal. It is just with too much liquid the dough might open up/not close right. 
Potato filling I used to boil the whole potato and put thru the meat grinder with some sauteed onion, I do not do that anymore, either the potato I buy is not good or I do not know what but it is just too gooie (sp?). I am making plain mashed potato nowadays and siply mix in some sauteed onions in. There is really no real proportions. It is potato make it so it tastes good to you. I know there are a lot of recipes that call for cottage cheese in the mixture, I hate that. I do like pirogies with cheese but not cheese potato together.


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## schllac

Charlie, I had talked to some people and they said that they cut the cabbage and fry it with onions and some garlic and as the water comes out of the cabbage they let it cook down and evaporate so that they have a dry sort of cabbage left by cooking out the moisture.

I have steamemed it and put it in towels to wring it dry, but this is time consuming and it turned out awful as far as I was concerned. I am thinking of using a potato ricer to squeeze out the water next time. Any thoughts on this.

I make a ravioli which is an old family recipe with chicken and pork filling and I also have to have the right moisture consistency so it is not too wet for the dough and it has to be easy to handle when stuffing the shells.


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## JanaAZ

I use bottled sauerkraut.  I drain it then soak it in potato water for about 30 minutes.  Irinse it well, ring it out in cotton towels.  Then flavor it how I want for use in  my pierogi.  It works out really well.  Of course, there's bacon in it, as well as onion and a little potato.

We're having Pierogi Day here in a few weeks.  Can't wait!


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## schllac

JanaAZ when and where is the Pierogi Day, time, date and place ?


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## CharlieD

schllac said:


> Charlie, I had talked to some people and they said that they cut the cabbage and fry it with onions and some garlic and as the water comes out of the cabbage they let it cook down and evaporate so that they have a dry sort of cabbage left by cooking out the moisture.
> 
> I have steamemed it and put it in towels to wring it dry, but this is time consuming and it turned out awful as far as I was concerned. I am thinking of using a potato ricer to squeeze out the water next time. Any thoughts on this.
> 
> I make a ravioli which is an old family recipe with chicken and pork filling and I also have to have the right moisture consistency so it is not too wet for the dough and it has to be easy to handle when stuffing the shells.




Your ravioli sounds like a perfect example for the cabbage filling. That is how it should be, "right moisture consistency".


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## schllac

Has anyone on ever used *Baking Powder* in their pierogi dough recipe. I was looking at a recipe that said it was optional and that it made them puffier.


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## CharlieD

I never do, you don't want the doug to be puffy, idealy dough should be very thin. The idea is to make dough as thin as posible and strech so you can put as much filling as possible. Otherwise you'll be eating too much pasta, and what's the point of that.


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## JanaAZ

schllac said:


> JanaAZ when and where is the Pierogi Day, time, date and place ?


 We hold it once a year...often on Palm Sunday.  It can be anywhere in Arizona.  This year it's in Phx.  We have a lot of fun.  Everybody brings their favorite Polish (or mock-Polish) dish to share and by the end of the day we're in a food coma.


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## CWS4322

TL--the 750 ml yogurt container is 500 ml of AP flour, 400 ml of whole wheat. I ended up adding about 35 ml more AP flour to the dough.


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## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> TL--the 750 ml yogurt container is 500 ml of AP flour, 400 ml of whole wheat. I ended up adding about 35 ml more AP flour to the dough.


You mean grams, right? Not that a 750 ml container only holds 500 ml of flour.


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## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> You mean grams, right? Not that a 750 ml container only holds 500 ml of flour.


Right. 500 grams and 400 grams. I was having a problem calibrating my scale!


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## CWS4322

CharlieD said:


> I never do, you don't want the doug to be puffy, idealy dough should be very thin. The idea is to make dough as thin as posible and strech so you can put as much filling as possible. Otherwise you'll be eating too much pasta, and what's the point of that.


I don't know if I can explain how I was taught to fill the circle. But, you take the circle in one hand, the filling in the other. Put the filling 1/3 down on the circle of dough, pull the center of the circle up (and I always put the stickiest side in), then go to one corner, stuff any filling that is outside in with your ring finger, and squeeze back to the top of the circle. Go to the other corner, and stuff any filling back in with your ring finger and pinch all around and then pinch all around again so no stuffing sticks out. It is easier to show s/one how to do it than to explain it.


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## Addie

When I used to attend the banquet at the Polish Club, some of the pirogies had hand crimped edges and some didn't. Most didn't. The women noticed, the men didn't care. The smart men took one pirogies from each tray. The smarter ones only took the ones their wife had made. Women chose by the filling. 

This banquet wasn't about the installation of the newly elected officers. It was all about the "War of the Pirogies." Whatever the reason, I was always happy to attend and listen to most of the boring speeches. I swear it was the social event of the year.


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## Addie

Just curious. Does anyone make the fancy folding crimp style edging? It almost looks machine made.


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## CWS4322

Addie said:


> Just curious. Does anyone make the fancy folding crimp style edging? It almost looks machine made.


On a visit to Saskatchewan, I bought one of those perogie presses that makes those crimped edges. I imagine I still have it, I just never think to use it when I make perogies, I kind of enjoy the process of hand pinching the edges. One could use a fork and make those fancy marks, but I usually do 12-13 dozen at a time, so that would just make the day longer!


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## CharlieD

My mom and two girls made about 100 today. Simple recipe.

Kreplach/Vareniki/Pierogy:

1.	Margarine – 1 stick
2.	Hot water, almost boiling – 2 cups
3.	All-purpose flour – 4 cups, plus some for rolling out.
4.	Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon or so.
Put margarine into hot water, mix till dissolves. Add salt. Slowly add flour mixing constantly until all flour comes together. Need for a minute. Pinch a ball about a baseball size, cover the rest with the towel, roll out thin, cut out circles the size you like. Put the filling you like in the middle, pinch to make it into a half moon. Boil in a large pot with plenty of lightly salted water until the kreplach’ aka vareniki are swimming to the top, let it boil for about 3-5 minutes. Really depends on the filling and the thickness of the dough. You can take one out and cut into it. Done.


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## Addie

CharlieD said:


> My mom and two girls made about 100 today. Simple recipe.
> 
> Kreplach/Vareniki/Pierogy:
> 
> 1.	Margarine – 1 stick
> 2.	Hot water, almost boiling – 2 cups
> 3.	All-purpose flour – 4 cups, plus some for rolling out.
> 4.	Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon or so.
> Put margarine into hot water, mix till dissolves. Add salt. Slowly add flour mixing constantly until all flour comes together. Need for a minute. Pinch a ball about a baseball size, cover the rest with the towel, roll out thin, cut out circles the size you like. Put the filling you like in the middle, pinch to make it into a half moon. Boil in a large pot with plenty of lightly salted water until the kreplach’ aka vareniki are swimming to the top, let it boil for about 3-5 minutes. Really depends on the filling and the thickness of the dough. You can take one out and cut into it. Done.



Charlie, if one chooses to put meat in them, do you cook the meat first?


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## GotGarlic

Addie said:


> Charlie, if one chooses to put meat in them, do you cook the meat first?



I've never seen a recipe for meat-filled pierogies using raw meat.


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## CharlieD

Ah, here is the thing, if you are from Ukraine, you use cooked meat. I you are Russian, especially from Siberia, you use raw meat (mostly pork, but any other will work too), they called Pelmeni. You can use same dough recipe. It is so simple it works with any kind of fillings. 
There is a great debate if Russians stole the recipe from Chinese or Chinese stole recipe from Russians making the won tons which are very much the same product.
Of course each side defends thinks they are right. 
As far as I am concern, I love both.


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## Addie

GotGarlic said:


> I've never seen a recipe for meat-filled pierogies using raw meat.



Thank you. I wasn't sure, because I thought maybe the boiling cooked the meat. Mashed potatoes with a mixture of loosely cooked meatball mixture. Or a meatloaf mix. My mind is running amok!


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## Addie

CharlieD said:


> Ah, here is the thing, if you are from Ukraine, you use cooked meat. I you are Russian, especially from Siberia, you use raw meat (mostly pork, but any other will work too), they called Pelmeni. You can use same dough recipe. It is so simple it works with any kind of fillings.
> There is a great debate if Russians stole the recipe from Chinese or Chinese stole recipe from Russians making the won tons which are very much the same product.
> Of course each side defends thinks they are right.
> As far as I am concern, I love both.



I would rather be from The Ukraine. Siberia is too cold in the winter. And as far as the Chinese? Who cares about them?


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## CharlieD

Actually Chinese is my favorite food, afetr Ukrainian/Russian, maybe even equal.


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## Addie

CharlieD said:


> Actually Chinese is my favorite food, afetr Ukrainian/Russian, maybe even equal.



The Ukraine/Russian culture has some very earth comfort foods. As do most of the countries in the Balkan area. I love the black bread. It is probably the only bread I do like. Chinese rice almost killed me. I will never eat it again.


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## CharlieD

My gosh, what happened. Chineese rice is the only rice I really like. I do not eat rice otherwise, well sushi and rice pilaff, that's it.


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## Addie

CharlieD said:


> My gosh, what happened. Chineese rice is the only rice I really like. I do not eat rice otherwise, well sushi and rice pilaff, that's it.



The fried rice I had was soaking in grease. Anytime you eat fried foods, your gall bladder sends out bile to handle the grease. My gall bladder not only tried to send out a large amount of bile, it also picked up a gall stone that got lodged in the duct. Not a good thing. They didn't want to do surgery do to my age and my heart condition. So it was a wait and see. They waited too long. They had to do CPR on me. I will never eat Chinese food again. Almost all their foods are done in a wok with grease. Since then my two frying pans are in semi retirement. I use it for a grilled cheese sandwich, a can of hash, (no grease needed) and never anything that requires oil in the pan first. I eat my eggs scrambled now or boiled, maybe one half piece of bacon for a BLT. You get the idea.


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## GotGarlic

Addie said:


> The fried rice I had was soaking in grease. Anytime you eat fried foods, your gall bladder sends out bile to handle the grease. My gall bladder not only tried to send out a large amount of bile, it also picked up a gall stone that got lodged in the duct. Not a good thing. They didn't want to do surgery do to my age and my heart condition. So it was a wait and see. They waited too long. They had to do CPR on me. I will never eat Chinese food again. Almost all their foods are done in a wok with grease. Since then my two frying pans are in semi retirement. I use it for a grilled cheese sandwich, a can of hash, (no grease needed) and never anything that requires oil in the pan first. I eat my eggs scrambled now or boiled, maybe one half piece of bacon for a BLT. You get the idea.



Is that the only time you've had fried rice? It sounds like you got a really bad batch. I've never had fried rice that was swimming in oil. And the benefit of wok cooking is that it doesn't need a lot of fat for cooking. The shape of the pan and the high heat do the cooking. 

Seems to me that grilled cheese has more grease than fried rice. It's not deep-fried, after all


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## Addie

GotGarlic said:


> Is that the only time you've had fried rice? It sounds like you got a really bad batch. I've never had fried rice that was swimming in oil. And the benefit of wok cooking is that it doesn't need a lot of fat for cooking. The shape of the pan and the high heat do the cooking.
> 
> Seems to me that grilled cheese has more grease than fried rice. It's not deep-fried, after all



No. I have been eating Chinese food since I was a kid. And rice is one of my favorite foods. The grilled cheese is done with a very small pat of butter for both sides. It is more toasted in the pan than sautéed. Believe me, I am so ever careful when I have any food that grease is part of the food. I still  have to have my gall bladder removed. But they are waiting for the next attack. That was the first one I ever had. Not looking forward to the next one.


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## CharlieD

Oh, my. What a horrible thing to happen. Gosh, well I hope you just stay ok from now on.


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