Pierogi
If you want to write about Polish cuisine, you just have to start with pierogi. This is the thing that most visitors to Poland crave for, so Polish pierogi chains are blooming. However, if you are not in Poland and you have no idea what pierogi are, I will try to exaplain it.
What is the fuss about? Or is it just Martha Stewart's PR?
Pierogi is a dish made of really simple ingredients, wrapped in simple dough. What makes it so special is the amount of work you need to invest - to make the filling, to make the dough, to roll it, shape it, fill it, and seal it. That is the reason why it has always been treated as an elegant dish. In the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, people would make a particular type of pierogi for a particular occassion - weddings, baptisms, burials. Unfortunately, it has been forgotten and it's extremely difficult to find any credible source indicating the exact shape and the exact filling.
Today, people take two approaches towards pierogi:
1. traditional - we eat what we already know (meat, quark, berries)
2. experimental - no risk, no fun (liver paste, hummus, barley and carmelized onions).
You need to know one thing! Poles don't eat them everyday. If they eat them, they buy frozen ones or... they gather (they reffers to mothers and daughters or friends) once or twice a year and make like 500 of them, put them in plastic bags and freeze them. Because rolling the dough and shaping them doesn't require reasoning (and doesn't require silence), there's a lot of time for chatting and just having quality time.
No matter where you live - you can make your own pierogi at home. There's one thing that you should remember - Polish flour is different than American flour, for example. If you have some Polish store in your neighborhood, go there and buy Polish flour "maka". You will notice the difference!
I will share with you my family recipe for pierogi. It's no rocket science - just practice. You can find many videos of forming the moon-shaped cuties on You Tube.
Basic Dough:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup very warm water (as much as needed)
On a working surface mix flour with water. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic adding water, if necessary (you can use your standing mixer with a hook attachment). On a floured surface, roll the dough (it should be rather thin) and cut out circles very close together, using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or glass (5 inches for large fruit version). Cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough from drying. Repeat with remaining dough. Place filling in center of each dough circle. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Holding 1 circle in your hand, fold dough over filling. Transfer to oil coated plate; loosely cover with plastic. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Working in batches, transfer pierogi to pot of boiling water. Pierogi will sink to the bottom and then rise. Once they rise, cook through, about 2 minutes more.
Meat filling:
½ medium onion chopped
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs oil
1 lb. pork (preferably shoulder, chuck steak)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 parsley root, peeled and chopped
1 bayleaf
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp peppercorns
salt to taste
1 Tbs majoram
Chop pork into 1 inch squares, put in a pot, cover with water. Add carrot, parsley root, bayleaf, allspice, peppercorns, check if it is still covered with water. Bring to boil and boil until meat is tender – 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, fry onion on oil and butter until it is translucent – about 5 minutes. Take meat off the heat. Discard spices, reserve the broth, mince the remaining meat, vegetables, and onion. If the filling is too dry, add the reserved broth until the filling becomes smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add majoram and mix well.
Potato filling:
1 cup twaróg (Polish quark - ask in Polish stores)
4 medium potatoes – peeled, boiled, and mashed
½ medium onion – chopped
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs oil
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbs chopped dill (optional)
Heat oil and butter in a pan, add onion and fry it until it becomes translucent – about 5 minutes. Mix with mashed potatoes, quark, salt and pepper. Season to taste. Serve with sour cream, chopped dill, fried onion, or melted butter. Dill can be added directly to the filling.
Blueberry
2 cups blueberries
2 Tbs potatoe or cornstarch
Gently clean blueberries and pat them dry. Mix with starch. Serve with sour cream mixed with sugar or with melted butter and sugar.
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