Polish Plum Dumplings Recipes

Steps:

• Pass farmer's cheese and cooked potatoes separately through a food grinder or food processor.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook mushrooms and onions until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine farmer's cheese, potatoes, mushroom mixture, sour cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix together and set filling aside.
• Place flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Crack both eggs into the well. Add butter and a few tablespoons of the warm water. Mix with your hands, gradually adding more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as you go. Knead well, continuing to add more water as needed. Knead until dough is soft and smooth, adding more flour to the work surface as needed.
• Cut off 1/4 of the dough and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out circles using a glass or a round pastry cutter, saving the excess dough for your next batch.
• Fill each dough circle with 1 teaspoon of filling. Fold dough over into a half-moon shape and pinch edges together to seal. Cover with a clean dish towel so pierogi won't dry out and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the pierogi in batches, about 20 at a time, and cook until they float to the surface, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a strainer. Repeat with the remaining pierogi.

Steps:

• To pit the plums, slice them almost in half, open, and remove pit. Place about 1/3 teaspoon of sugar in the hollow of each plum; close the plum, and place in a bowl. Set aside.
• Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher. You will need 1 cup of mashed potatoes. Set aside, and keep warm.
• To make the dough, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a pile on a breadboard. Make a well in the center; add 1 cup mashed potatoes, egg yolks, and shortening into the well, and work in until the dough is pliable and smooth.
• When dough is thoroughly kneaded, roll it out onto a floured board to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into roughly 4-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Holding one piece of dough in your hand, place a whole pitted plum in the center. Place another piece of dough on top, and press to seal the edges of the dough together. Make sure there are no leaks, or the plum will come out during cooking.
• To cook, bring a deep pot of salted water to boil. Place dumplings in water, and boil gently for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. (If you like, stir in some of the juice that collects in the bowl of pitted plums.) Stir in a small amount of bread crumbs to slightly thicken the sauce.
• When dumplings are done, remove them from boiling water, and place them in the frying pan, and turn to coat the dumplings. Serve hot with extra sauce poured over them.

Steps:

• Wash fruit in cold water and dry thoroughly; set aside until ready to use.
• Combine flour, melted butter, egg yolks, salt and enough milk to make a soft dough that pulls.
• Cover and let stand about half an hour.
• Roll out thinly on a floured board, cut into 24 small squares and wrap a plum in each.
• Cook in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes; cooked dumplings will float to the top.
• Drain and serve sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and egg just until blended. Divide into six portions. , On a lightly floured surface, pat each portion of dough into a 5-in. circle. Place a plum half on each circle. Gently bring up corners of dough to center; pinch edges to seal. , In a Dutch oven, bring water and butter to a boil. Carefully add dumplings. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Serve warm with pan juices, melted butter and cinnamon-sugar.

Steps:

• To prepare the sauerkraut filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate to cool.
• For the mashed potato filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir into the mashed potatoes, and season with salt and white pepper.
• To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and the sauerkraut filling.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add perogies and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.