Potato Mushroom Onion Cheese Pierogies Recipes

Steps:

• Make the Caramelized Onions
• Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, over low heat. Add the oil and the onions and toss the onions to coat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, leaving a little gap for steam to escape. Stir occasionally, every 5 minutes or so. Onions should turn amber, but not burn, although a couple of darker spots are fine.
• Remove the cover and turn the heat up just a bit, to a medium setting. Stir often for 10 more minutes. Onions should become a darker amber, and some of the moisture should evaporate.
• Make the Potato Filling
• In a medium-size pot, cover potatoes in water. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for about 20 more minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
• Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the onions in oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes. Turn the heat off but continue to stir occasionally because they could still burn from the hot pan. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them well and add them to the pan with the onions. Just mash them right in there with a potato masher; that way you are sure to get all the oil, plus you save a dish. Add the salt and pepper. Make sure potatoes are mashed well and fluffy. Set aside to cool a bit.
• Make the Mushroom Sauerkraut Filling
• You know I don't usually advise cooking with margarine, but I really love it with the mushrooms here, I think because growing up the mushrooms I ate were really buttery. Anyway, this filling is really simple. In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
• Before adding the sauerkraut to the pan, give it a squeeze over the sink to get out as much water as you can. It's important to do this so that your pierogi don't get all wet. You'll need to add the sauerkraut to the pan a cup at a time. Add to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, cooking out any excess water. Season with the pepper. The filling shouldn't look dry (a small amount of water is okay), but you shouldn't be able to slosh around in it in rain boots.
• Make the Dough
• This is really the brunt of the work in this recipe. If you're like me, you have limited counter space and so rolling out dough can be a hassle. I make the dough last because the mess becomes much more manageable when you don't have to prep on the counter afterwards. It also gives your filling some time to cool. So make sure you clean up after your filling making and get someone to do the dishes for you. I find that a serene counter makes all the difference in dough making.
• Pour the water and oil into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, keeping one cup aside. Use a fork to stir the flour in, and as it starts to come together, use your hands to knead until a loose dough forms (about 3 minutes).
• Sprinkle your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead. Add the reserved cup of flour a little bit at a time, working it into the dough, until it is very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If it's too sticky, you can add a little bit more fl our and knead it in, sometimes up to 1/4 cup extra. Conversely, if you get a good-feeling, smooth, elastic dough with less than the extra cup of fl our, then that's okay, too.
• Now we roll the dough out, and also bring a salted pot of water to boil-the largest pot you've got-for boiling the pierogi.
• Divide the dough in half and make sure your counter is clean and sprinkled with a dusting of flour to prevent sticking. Roll half the dough out to about 1/16 of an inch thick, which is to say, very thin but not see-through. I roll it into an 18 x 10-inch rectangle, but as long as you have the thinness going, the shape doesn't matter so much. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of flour.
• Now we're going to make circles. I use the top of a glass that is 3 1/2 inches in diameter, but somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 inches is perfect. Use a glass or a cookie cutter. Have ready a lightly floured plate to place the finished circles on, and go ahead and fi rmly press your glass or cookie cutter into the dough, as close together as you can. Pull together the excess dough and set aside. Place circles on the floured plate and transfer to the fridge while you repeat with the other half of the dough. Combine the excess dough and see if you can get a few more wrappers out of the deal.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Add the flour and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water and the butter over medium-high until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. Pour the buttery liquid into the flour gradually, stirring it in as you add it. (The dough will be quite crumbly and flaky at this point, like a biscuit dough.) Stir in the egg until combined then move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough with a dampened towel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling: Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a large pot, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high and continue to cook at a simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• While the potatoes cook, prepare the onions: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high. Add the onions, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and softened, about 12 minutes. Set aside about 1 cup of onions for garnish and add the rest to a medium bowl.
• Transfer the cooked potatoes to a colander to drain, then transfer to the medium bowl with the onions. Add the cheese, stir to combine, season generously with salt and pepper, then let cool.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high.
• Prepare the wrappers: Cut the dough into two even pieces. (You'll want to leave one piece under the towel to stay moist while you work with the other piece.) You'll also want a small bowl of flour, a small bowl of water and a towel handy for keeping your hands clean. Dust some flour onto a baking sheet (for holding the pierogi) and your work surface, then roll out one portion of dough until 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or inverted glass, punch 12 to 15 disks of dough. (Save and refrigerate the scraps to boil as a rustic pasta, in soup or another use.)
• Assemble the pierogi: Working with one disk at time, spoon a scant tablespoon of filling onto the middle of it. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling, bringing the edges together to form a crescent shape. Pinch the two sides together at the top, then work your way down on both sides, pinching the dough over the filling and pushing in the filling as needed, making sure the potato mixture does not break the seal. If needed, you can dip your fingertip into water and moisten the dough in spots as needed to help the two sides adhere together.
• To form a rustic pattern on the curved seal, pinch the rounded rim underneath using your pointer finger and middle finger and press an indentation on top with your thumb, working your way along the rounded rim. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. (If you've gotten some filling on your fingers, dip your fingertips into the bowl of water then dry them off on the towel.)
• Repeat with remaining disks, then repeat the entire process with the remaining portion of dough. You'll want to work fairly quickly, as the pierogi can be harder to seal if they start to dry out. (If cooking the pierogi at a later point, transfer them on the baking sheet to the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer the pierogi to a resealable bag and freeze.)
• To cook the pierogi, add a single layer of pierogi to the pot of boiling water. Let them cook until they rise to the surface, about 2 minutes, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes until puffy. (With frozen dumplings, you will need to increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked dumplings to a colander to drain, then boil remaining dumplings.
• If you want to pan-fry your pierogi, working in batches, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high until crackling. Add a few boiled pierogi in a single layer to avoid overcrowding, and cook until crisp and golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining pierogi, adding butter as needed.
• Serve hot. Top with any browned butter from the pan, warmed reserved onions, sour cream and herbs.

Steps:

• For the dough: Work the egg, sour cream, butter and salt in a small bowl with a whisk or fork to form a batter. Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Add the sour cream mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands until a dough forms. (The dough is ready to use right away but if you are not forming the pierogies immediately, wrap in plastic and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.)
• For the filling: Stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese and chives in a medium bowl until well combined. Chill the filling so it is easier to work with.
• To form the pierogies: Roll the dough mass out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut 3-inch rounds. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in each round, and then fold over into half-moons, being careful not to push filling into the seam. Press closed and crimp with a fork if scalloped edges are preferred.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pierogies and wait until they float, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chives and a crack of black pepper.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain.
• Combine flour, eggs and salt. Mix in a little water at a time until dough is somewhat stiff. Roll dough in small sections about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large biscuit cutter or drinking glass, make circle cuts.
• To make filling: Mix together potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and onion salt. Fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture, fold over and seal edges. To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, carefully dropping in one at a time; stir once. They are done when they float to the top.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter using a fork until pieces are very small. Stir in the water and mix until well blended. If the dough is too sticky, stir in a little more flour until you can knead it on a floured surface. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover, and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or large glass. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
• To make the filling, prepare the mashed potato flakes according to package directions. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until soft and transparent. Remove from the heat, and mix in the mashed potatoes.
• Place one tablespoon of the pierogi filling onto each circle of dough. Fold circles over and pinch the edges to seal tightly so that no filling will escape while they boil. They can be frozen at this time if you like.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully drop several perogies into the water. They are done when they float to the top. Continue the process with remaining perogies. You can also fry the perogies in some butter with onion before serving if you like.

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to boil for the potatoes. Saute the onion in a small pan in 2 tablespoons of butter until translucent and set aside. Boil the potatoes until tender.
• While the potatoes are boiling, begin the dough. Whisk together the eggs, 1/4 cup water and sour cream and pour into a small pitcher (or you can actually whisk them right in a container such as a 2-cup glass measuring vessel). Mound the flour in the center of a clean room-temperature work surface like a large wooden cutting board. Create a crater in the center of the mound. Pour enough of the egg mixture into the center to fill the crater. With a fork, gently begin to scramble the mixture within the confines of the crater, whilst integrating the flour from the sides of the crater as you carefully beat the egg mixture.
• Once this first amount of the egg mixture is mostly mixed in, shore up the sides of the mound again with flour, maintaining the crater shape. Repeat the process with a second pour of egg mixture into the crater, and again until you have combined all the egg mixture. (Remember that making pasta is not an exact science. Depending on the flour, you may need more moisture to make the dough come together, in which case use a little extra milk or water. Conversely, if the dough is too wet, add a little more flour - but just enough to make it the right consistency. This is an acquired skill so be patient with yourself.) Start kneading the dough with your palms, allowing the warmth of your hands to impart elasticity to the dough. Knead for a count of about 400 strokes or until you feel you have created a cohesive mass. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
• Return to the potatoes, drain, and mash them with the sauteed onion, chives, butter, milk, and salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• Work with 1/3 of the pasta dough at a time - keeping the balance wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Use a pasta machine to gradually roll each section of the pasta down, successively reducing the setting on the machine until it is at a thickness of 1/16th of an inch.
• Cut 3-inch circles of pasta, spoon some of the mashed potatoes into the center and fold the filled circles into half moons, sealing the edges with egg wash and pressing shut with your fingers or carefully with the times of a fork.
• Bring a large shallow saute pan of water to a boil, and gently boil the pierogi in batches for 2 or 3 minutes, removing carefully to a utility platter with a wooden spoon.
• The final step is to melt the butter in a large fry pan and saute the garlic for a few minutes until it is tender and imparts its flavor to the butter in the pan. Be careful not to burn either the butter or the garlic. Saute the pierogi in this garlic butter and serve.

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Mix the 4 eggs, butter or margarine, sour cream and salt together in a bowl with whisk.
• Sift the flour onto a flat work surface and make a well in the center, pour the wet ingredients into the crater.
• Stir the mixture with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well until a soft dough forms.
• Squeeze the dough with your hands, if it's sticky, add a bit of flour, if it's not pliable, add a couple of drops of water.
• Knead the dough, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Gather the dough into a ball and cover it with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so to rest.
• Filling:.
• Cook the potato cubes in boiling salted water until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
• Drain and then mash them with a ricer or regular "old" potato masher while they are still hot; set them aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.
• Melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine in large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the onions, mushrooms and thyme, saute for a few minutes to soften the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook until the vegetables are broken dry and almost dry, then pour in cream & cheese; stir to incorporate.
• Remove the pan from the heat; take out sprigs of thyme, and scrape the mushroom & cheese mixture into the potatoes, mix well to incorporate the ingredients.
• Make sure the filling is not too hot or it will start to cook the dough, causing it to sog.
• Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter.
• Take 1/2 of the dough(leaving the rest covered so it doesn't dry out while you work) and roll it out into a thin circle, about 1/8" thick.
• Using a 3" round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2" border.
• Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash and brush it on the edges of the circle.
• Fold the dough over 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle and seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
• Lightly tap the bottoms of the dumpling on the counter to make it flat.
• Repeat with the remaining half of dough and filling.
• You should make about 35 pierogies; put 1/2 of them in the freezer to keep on hand (they are better than the ones you find in the freezer section of the grocery store.).
• Coat a large saute pan (that has a tight fitting lid) with vegetable oil and place over medium heat.
• Lay the pierogies in the pan (you may have to do this in batches) and fry them for a couple of minutes until they start to crisp and brown on both sides.
• Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan to let the pierogies steam; when the water evaporates, the pierogies should be cooked and crisp.
• Arrange the pierogies on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve with roasted apples, sour cream, butter with caramelized onions, and/or any of the following:.
• Roasted apples:.
• 3 Gala apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
• 3 Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
• 1 lemon juiced.
• 2 cinnamon sticks.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar "splenda".
• Pinch of salt.
• 2 Tablespoons butter.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spread the apples out in a casserole pan and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar or splenda, salt and butter.
• Bake until the apples are roasted and "NOT" mushy, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the apples with peirogies, either hot or chilled.
• Caramelized Onions & Sour Cream:.
• 4-5 large onions, sliced thin.
• 3-4 tablespoons butter or margarine.
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar, to caramelize - no subs.
• Sour cream, to serve on the side.
• Melt butter in large saute pan and then add onions & sugar; saute for about 15 minutes or until onions are soft and a nice golden color.
• Serve onions with pierogies and sour cream, as little or all you want.
• "Maple" Cured Bacon & Melted Butter:
• 1/2 lb of "maple" cured bacon or turkey bacon.
• 4-5 tablespoons butter.
• Parsley, chopped fine - garnish.
• Saute bacon in frying pan or microwave oven.
• When crispy and drained; crumble into little pieces.
• Melt butter in a saucepan or in microwave oven, before it turns brown, remove and sprinkle with parsley.
• Sprinkle melted butter with parsley and bacon on hot pierogies.
• Melted Butter & Green Onions:.
• 4-5 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 green onions, chopped fine (green & white parts).
• Melt butter in saucepan or microwave, remove before it browns.
• Sprinkle with green onions and spread it over the warm pierogies.
• Use any and all combinations with these.
• There are too many variations for me to list but I have listed a few that my family enjoys. Hope you do too!

Steps:

• Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms, and trim stems of white and cremini mushrooms. Place mushrooms in a food processor, and pulse about eight times, until finely chopped. Set aside.
• In a medium saute pan, melt butter and oil over low heat; add shallots. Cook, covered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is nearly dry, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and parsley, and cook about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl.
• To form dumplings, place a heaping teaspoon of the filling toward the front of a circle of pierogi dough. Moisten the edges of the dough with water, and fold in half around filling to form a semicircle, firmly pinching the edges closed. Set aside on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue to fill and form pierogi, keeping them covered with plastic wrap, until all the dough has been used.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add half the pierogi. Boil gently until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, and repeat with remaining pierogi. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Pour boiling water over porcini in a small bowl and soak until softened,10 to 20 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and rinse well to remove any grit. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a bowl and reserve.
• Finely chop onion and garlic in a food processor, then add cremini and porcini and pulse until very finely chopped.
• Heat butter in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushroom mixture, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are dry and 1 shade darker, about 8 minutes. Add reserved soaking liquid and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick, dry, and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes (there will be about 1 cup filling). Stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely.
• Roll out dough and fill pierogies:
• Halve dough and roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 15-inch round, keeping remaining dough wrapped. Cut out rounds (about 24) with floured cutter. Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round. Working with 1 round at a time, moisten edges with water and fold in half to form a half-moon, pinching edges together to seal. Transfer pierogies as assembled to a flour-dusted kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining rounds, then make more pierogies with remaining dough and filling.
• Cook onions and pierogies:
• Cook onions in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Cook pierogies in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with onions. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.