pittsburgh proud.

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Pittsburgh has such a large Polish population that there is an entire hill known as "Polish Hill".  When my Polish ancestors immigrated to the States, you can guess where they chose to build their house.  My mum was always a fan of traditional foods such as halupki and halušky, which she cooked from scratch.  Both dishes seemed to take forever to cook and resulted in quite a smell.  (Blegh, cabbage.)  Where as my favourite Polish dish was always easily accessible in the freezer aisle.  


When I moved to Wellington I was disappointed to discover that there are no pierogies, none in the freezer aisle, none even at specialty shops and restaurants.  There are definitely Pols here, 734 Polish orphans were brought to New Zealand during WWII, but the food doesn't seem to have accompanied them.  Therefore I had to get creative as I sought to bring a bit of the 'burgh to the Shire.  It took a few recipes, but I've finally hit upon the perfect combination for this traditional dinner.

 Dough Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c boiling water
1/4 c cold water
1/2 tsp olive or canola oil

Filling Ingredients:
1/2 lb peeled potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter
2 c onions, chopped
5 oz goat cheese
1/2 c tasty cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Topping:
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 c onions

Directions

Makes approximately 30 pierogies
Prepare the Filling
1. Bring potatoes to a boil in a pot of salted water. Once boiling lower the heat and continue cooking until potatoes are tender. 

2. Drain the water and return potatoes to the pot, drying them over medium heat. Stir until potatoes look floury and leave a light film on the bottom of the pan.

3. Mash with a fork until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden-brown.

5. Once onions are cooked add to the potatoes along with cheese, salt, and pepper. Mixing throughly.




Prepare the Dough
1. Mix flour and salt into a large bowl.

2. Pour boiling water into the bowl, stirring mixture vigorously. Crumble down any lumps of flour that form.

3. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set aside for 5 minutes.

4. After 5 minutes remove the dish towel and stir in cold water. Crumble down any lumps that form.

5. Cover the bowl again, this time for 15 minutes.

6. After 15 minutes remove the dish towl and add in vegetable oil. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead out for approximately 5 to 10 minutes until the dough becomes uniform. The dough should be stretchy and a bit adhesive at this stage.

Pierogi Assemble!

1. Flour your working surface and roll out the dough to about one-tenth of an inch. Do not get flour on the top facing side of the dough, you will want it to stick together. Use a cup to cut circles out of the dough. Once circles are cut roll out each one a little bit further to create an oval shape.

2. Place a tablespoon of filling into the circle and fold to form pierogi. Use a fork to seal down the edges.

3. Collect dough scraps, repeating steps 7 & 8 as many times as needed.

4. To cook place pierogies in a large pot of boiling water. Remove pierogies from the water as they float to the top of the pot. At this stage you can take the cooked pierogies and place them in the freezer for later use or continue to the next step to eat immediately.

5. Create the topping by melting butter in a skillet, adding onions and pierogies. Cook pierogies until lightly brown on each side.

6. Enjoy!


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