Piroghi

I like piroghi topped with sour cream and dill.

I love dumplings. I am on a delicious quest of slowly mastering all of the world's dumplings. It will take awhile, but I have time. Polish dumplings are my latest adventure. Specifically, piroghi which are named for their shape, not their filling. Piroghi are large rectangle, square or round pies;  they can be filled with different fillings ranging from sweet to savory. I chose two savory fillings: onions and sauerkraut and potatoes and onions.
The sauerkraut filling was so good, I made a small bowl of it and ate it while the pastry dough was resting. The potato filling became my new mashed potato recipe. The dough that is used also varies. I had yeast dough, sour cream pastry, and puff pastry to choose from.  There was no doubt in my mind; I went for the sour cream pastry. These dumplings were a bit of work but they were worth it.

Dumpling Dough

3 Cups (375 g) of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 Tsp of Salt
1/2 Tsp of Baking Powder
14 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, Chilled and Cut into Pieces
2 Yolks from Large Eggs
2/3 Cup (225 g) of Sour Cream (Light Sour Cream May Be Used)

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter and use a pasty blender or your fingers to blend until the flour looks like coarse bread crumbs.

The mixture should look like coarse breadcrumbs

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sour cream.

Adding the sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients a bit at a time, mixing into to the flour with your hands.

Mixing it with my fingers- what a mess!

Once the sour cream mixture is mixed in, transfer the pastry to a light floured surface and knead it briefly. Divide the pastry into two parts, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Mixed, kneaded and ready to rest!

I like to refrigerate the dough overnight. I think it is easier to work with.

Sauerkraut Onion Filling

2 Tbsp of Butter
1/2 Cup (95 g) of Onions, Chopped (Preferably Red Onions)
1 1/2 Cups (213 g) of Sauerkraut
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the melted butter and sauté until the onion is translucent, approximately 15 minutes. Add the sauerkraut to the skillet and sauté for 5 more minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Once it cools, I place the filling on a cutting board and chop it into fine pieces.

The sauerkraut onion mixture

Potato Onion Filling
3 Tbsp of Butter
1 Cup (191 g) of Onions, Finely Chopped
3 Potatoes (approximately 20 oz/560 g each), Peeled, Boiled, and Mashed
3 oz (85 g) Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Heat the oil in a small skillet and medium heat. add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. This should take about 15 minutes. Place the onions in a bowl and mix in the remainder of the ingredients.

The potato mixture (also the world's best mashed potatoes)

Making the Piroghi

Take a piece of dough (refrigerate the remaining dough) and roll it out on a lightly flour surface. You want the dough to be thin approximately 1/8 inch (20 cm). With a large cookie cutter (I like to use a scalloped edge) or a drinking glass, cut out rounds from the dough.

Dough round

Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the dough round. Next moisten the edges with water and fold the edge so they meet in the center. Seal the edges tightly and set on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

I usually make several at a time.

Sealed piroghi.

I boil mine in water for 3-5 minutes (they are done when they float to the surface). You can also brush them with egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon of milk) and bake them in a 350 F/175 C oven for approximately 25 minutes.  I freeze (uncooked) piroghis and they freeze well.

With this dough it is important to moisten the dough and tightly seal it. Otherwise, they will come apart while you are boiling them. Also you want a "light" boil not a roiling boil. These are too delicate to be cooked in a rolling boil.

The bottom line: Would I make these again? Yes I would. The dough was easy to work with especially after chilling overnight in the refrigerator. I plan on trying different doughs and fillings.

Pelmeni

A bowl of pelmeni with sour cream and dill

I love dumplings and it is one of my many goals to make dumplings of all cultures. Pelmeni seems to have sidetracked me from my lofty goal because I can't stop making them. I even have a pelmeni mold from Russia.

Pelmeni are a fair bit of work but with my professional grade mixer (with a dough hook) they have become easier to make. They take some time to master and are time consuming. Why do I love them so? First of all, they are versatile; I change the fillings based on my mood. Second, they freeze really well. Third, when I cook them, they take about 15 minutes total to cook. Fourth, they are delicious. They are a perfect dumpling. Having said that, this pelmeni recipe took me a while to develop.

The Dough
A word of warning- the dough is difficult to work with. I now have arm muscles. It is a lot of work to get the dough to roll out in a thin layer.The thinner the dough better the dumpling.

To make the dough mix together:

2 to 2 1/2 Cups (250 g to 313 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup (125 ml) of Water
1/2 Tsp of Salt

Start with 1 1/2 cups (188 g) of flour and add a 1/2 cup (63 g) at a time until the dough is the correct consistency. It should form a ball and be elastic.

This dough needs more flour

This dough is ready to be kneaded

At this point I switch over to a dough hook and knead for 4 minutes (you need to have a professional mixture to do this- if you don't knead the dough by hand).

This dough is ready to rest

The next step is to wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

The filling
Ok so maybe I am a little obsessed with pelmenis. I grind my own meat for the filling. That way I can grind the spices into the meat and I choose the cuts of meat I use. I usually use a mixture of half pork and half beef (sometimes I throw lamb in as well). I don't measure the amount I use because I use left over meat in other recipes or I freeze it for later. So back to the meat mixture. The meat mixture is ground park and beef, one grated onion (small) and a spice mixture. I really like Penzey's Tsardust Russian spice. I also will make the following spice mixture: salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg (sometimes I throw in some cayenne- just because).

Making Pelmeni

Note: The dough drys out quickly so whatever dough you are not using, keep wrapped up in the plastic wrap.

Using a Pelmeni Mold

My pelmeni mold

Take a piece of dough and roll it out thin. Place the dough on top of the pelmeni mold and place a bit of the meat mixture into each hole.

Filled pelmeni mold

Next roll out another thin sheet and place on top of the mold. (it looks like a pie)

Dough layer, meat layer, and then another dough layer

Next roll a rolling pin over the mold and the pelmeni are almost done.

The pelmeni mold after a rolling a rolling pin over it

Finally take the pelmeni out of the mold and place on a cookie sheet and freeze.

These pelmenis still need to be separated

Once the pelmenis are frozen, they can be place in a plastic freezer bag until you are ready to eat them.

Holding a pelmeni

By Hand 

Roll out the dough as thin as possible- use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into 3 inch (7.5 cm) circles.

The first step of making pelmenis by hand: cut out the dough

Place about a teaspoon of the meat mixture onto one side of the circle and fold the other side on top of the filling.

The second step: placing about a teaspoon of meat in the dough

Then crimp it shut using your fingers. You may need to lightly moisten the edges.

The third step: crimping the pelmeni closed

Make the pelmeni into a crescent shape.

The fourth step bending the pelmeni into a crescent shape

Repeat this process until all of the dough is used.

Cooking Pelmeni

A bowl of pelmeni with sour cream and dill

Pelmeni are amazingly easy to cook. Drop frozen (you should freeze them before you cook them) pelmeni into boiling water, beef broth, or chicken broth. Cook until done (5-7 minutes). You could serve in the broth like a soup, drain and serve as is, or drain and fry in butter. I usually serve pelmeni with sour cream with a bit of dill. Vinegar is a traditionally served with pelmeni. I gave up on trying to pair pelmenis with wine-- if you have any ideas I would love to hear about them. I think the best pairing for pelmenis is ice cold vodka-my current favorite is Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka.