Homemade Pierogi

Whether you do it the traditional way or you have your own way of getting things done. Making homemade pierogi is always a good decision.

While I was doing a bit of research looking for recipes and techniques for making pierogi I found that people who grew up with them being made in their childhood kitchen. are very passionate about the recipes and techniques used.

but even more than that they are passionate about the fact that multiple pierogi are just that. As soon as you came across a post or video of someone making pierogis the comment section would be filled with comments expressing that they are not called pierogis and that they are pierogi. No need for an s as the word is already pluralized.

now that we have that covered we can also talk about the many different techniques and recipes that are used. I can understand that there are traditional ways in different cultures that some things are made.

I can also understand that the way your grandma or great-grandma made them is the “only” right way to make them in your house.

However

Especially in a world where groceries are one of the highest bills most of us have to pay these days. using what you have on hand instead of what is “traditional” is a great way to create something from nothing in your own home.

on that note as well there may be some ingredients that some may not like or may even be allergic to. Just remember it is your kitchen and you are making food for you and your loved ones to eat.

as long as its being enjoyed. as far as I’m concerned that is all that matters.

now lets get into it shall we?

Ingredients you will need to make homemade pierogi

Filling

• Potatoes- use the kind you like in mashed potatoes at home
• Butter or Margarine – to add to the filling for some creaminess and flavour.
• Cheddar cheese -traditionally you can also use farmers’ cheese. I had cheddar use what you have and what you like.
• Chives – dried or fresh is up to you
• Onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• you can also add what you like to the filling as log as you like it with potatoes anything goes.

Dough

• All purpose flour- this is a flour I and many people have on hand so it is the kind i used, A lot of videos I’ve watched used Polish flour.
• Potato water kept from boiling potatoes for filling- a lot of recipes i saw online used milk or water. in the comments there was an overwhelming amount of people who said to use potato water for best results.
• Oil- use what you have, at the time I had vegetable oil on hand
• pinch salt

Optional Toping

• Fried or caramelized onions, bacon, sour cream, cheese and basically anything you can think of.

How to make pierogi

1. Potatoes

peel potatoes and cut into pieces about 1 inch in size and place in a medium pot. Peeling potatoes has got to be one of my least favorite things to do in the kitchen. For this recipe it feels necessary for that flawless smooth filling.

rinse potatoes then fill with water, just enough to cover the potatoes in the pot.

add salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. continue to boil until potatoes are fork done.

remove potatoes and strain. Catch the water in a bowl and set aside for use later. DO NOT GET RID OF THE POTATO WATER! listen, if you do accidentally drain the potatoes down the drain like you would any other night for your mashed potato side dish it’s ok. You can use water or milk. Its better with the potato water though.

2. Add flavour

while potatoes are still hot add the butter, salt, pepper, chives and onion powder. mash until there are no more clumps. Have some fun with your seasoning (don’t worry I won’t tell) add what you like. just make sure when you are done the filling isn’t too wet. you don’t want to add too much liquid. Just enough to make it mash.

finely grate the cheese into the potatoes and gently fold them in. Do not over-mix or mash as you will make the potatoes less fluffy and have more of a gummy texture. Use farmer’s cheese if you have it or anything you like and have on hand. no need to run to the store to spend more money right?

set aside and make the dough

3. Make the dough

on a clean dry surface make mountain with flour and use the back of the measuring cup to create a well in the middle.

carefully add the potato water reserved from earlier, oil and salt.

use a fork to slowly incorporate the flour into the water. mixing first the flour that would have been on the bottom of the well then slowly bringing in flour from the edges bit by bit. being careful not to break the wall too soon and create a huge mess.

once you can safely mix everything without liquid going everywhere ditch the fork and get your hands in there.

begin to bring everything together and knead until smooth. keep the potato water close by so u can add more if your dough is too dry. Do not add too much at once. Just dip your hands in the bowl and keep kneading. very little goes a long way.

4. take a break

tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 min to rest. nothing to do now but wait.

5. Divide and roll

once rested divide the dough into 4 pieces. make sure to wrap the sections that you are not actively working with so they do not dry out.

take the first section and roll into a long snake shape about 1 inch thick

cut the snake into 12 equal pieces

one at a time roll each slice into a thin circle. set them out on the counter to be filled.

*Note- I have also seen these be made by rolling out the entire 1/4 in one sheet and cutting with a round cookie cutter or cup. however you choose to do it is up to you. I chose the snake method as I have limited space and there was 0 waste.

6. Assemble homemade pierogi

add 1 scoop of filling to each disk, then one at a time pick up each disk dip a finger into the water and wet the edges before folding in half to surround the filling and pinch closed.

get a small bowl of water and have it within reach

there are a few different ways you can pinch the edges, it is all personal preference. You can twist, use a fork or simply press together between 2 fingers.

7. Cook homemade pierogi

bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.

drop 7-8 pierogis in the boiling water. Don’t overcrowd the pot or pan with too many. They cook fast it doesn’t take long to cook a few batches. they will sink at first. let them boil until they float. This only takes about 5 minutes or so.

while they boil heat a large frying pan over medium heat with some butter.

carefully remove the pierogis from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and watching for splatter place them into the frying pan.

fry on either side until golden and crispy. this does not take long so keep close.

serve topped with fried onions, bacon, sour cream, cheese or whatever your heart desires.2 large White cooking onions. Any way you choose to make or serve your homemade pierogi will always be a win in my books.