Savoury Pierogi Recipe and Sweet Pierogi Recipe

I’ve recently found and joined a great online community called The Daring Kitchen – each month a cooking challenge is set, and the experience is reported back either through a blog post, or on the forum if you’re not a blogger. Each month you can chose between two challenges – one for the daring bakers and one for the daring cooks. This month I’ve chosen the daring cooks challenge…

The August 2010 Daring Cooks‟ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits ‘n Bites and Anula of Anula’s itchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

I chose to make two types of pierogi – one savoury recipe and one sweet recipe – and I gave them both an Italian feel by using traditional ingredients such as ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, artichokes and blackberries (the berries I collected from the roadside just near my place). The results were delicious – read on for full recipe details…

Savoury pireogi recipe: 

One thing to be aware of is the to make the almond and artichoke sauce for the savoury pierogies you need to soak the almonds in milk overnight. Don’t forget this step, as this time is needed for the milk to soak up the delicate almond flavour.

Recipe: Potato Pierogi Served In A Nut Artichoke Bath
Makes 30 (4 generous servings)
Recipe inspired by The Daring Kitchen, Anula’s Kitchen and Paul Gaylers ‘Virtually Vegetarian’
(Printable Recipe)
Pastry
2 1/2 cups (375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
About 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
Sauce
200ml milk
75g very finely chopped almonds
1 whole marinated artichoke (from jar – any variety will do)
Filling
400g waxy potatoes
1 tsp butter
1 handful grated parmigiano-reggiano (or parmesan)
50mls hot milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp very finely chopped almonds
1 egg white

Soak the almonds in milk overnight.

Place 2 cups flour in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center. Break the egg into it, add the salt and a little lukewarm at a time (in my situation 1/2 cup was enough). Bring the dough together, kneading well and adding more flour or water as necessary. Cover the dough with a bowl or towel. You‟re aiming for soft dough. Let it rest 20 minutes.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain well then mash with the remaining filling ingredients and set aside. Strain the milk then bring it and the artichokes to the boil. Then either push the artichokes through a fine strainer back into the boiled milk or use an electric mixer to pulp the milk and artichokes together. Set aside to be heated later.

On a floured work surface, roll the dough out thinly (1/8” or about 3 millimeters) cut with a 2-inch (5 cm) round or glass. Spoon a portion (teaspoon will be the best) of the filling into the middle of each circle. Fold dough in half and pinch edges together. Gather scraps, re-roll and fill. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a large, low saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop in the pierogi, not too many, only single layer in the pan! Return to the boil and reduce heat. When the pierogi rise to the surface, continue to simmer a few minutes more (usually about 5 minutes). At this stage reheat the sauce, careful not to let it boil. Remove one dumpling with a slotted spoon and taste if ready. When satisfied, remove remaining pierogi from the water.
Serve immediately: swim the pierogi in sauce and serve with a sprinkle of grated parmesan. Cold pierogi can be fried. Uncooked pierogi can be easily frozen and boiled taken out straight from the freezer.

Sweet pireogi recipe:

Recipe: Ricotta and Blackberry Pierogi Drizzled With A Berry Chocolate Sauce
Makes 30 (4 generous servings)
Recipe inspired by The Daring Kitchen, Anula’s Kitchen and Paul Gaylers ‘Virtually Vegetarian’
(Printable Recipe)
Pastry
2 1/2 cups (375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
About 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
Filling
250g ricotta
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp grated dark chocolate
1 tsp grated lemon rind
40 blackberries
Sauce
50g sugar
50g water
25 blackberries
50g dark chocolate

Place 2 cups flour in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center. Break the egg into it, add the salt and a little lukewarm at a time (in my situation 1/2 cup was enough). Bring the dough together, kneading well and adding more flour or water as necessary. Cover the dough with a bowl or towel. You‟re aiming for soft dough. Let it rest 20 minutes.

Combine the filling ingredients and set aside. Bring the sugar, water and blackberries to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 7 mins (the colour of the berries will be significantly lighter) then add the chocolate, stir until it’s fully melted, cover and turn off the heat.

On a floured work surface, roll the dough out thinly (1/8” or about 3 millimeters) cut with a 2-inch (5 cm) round or glass. Spoon a portion (teaspoon will be the best) of the filling into the middle of each circle. Fold dough in half and pinch edges together. Gather scraps, re-roll and fill. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a large, low saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop in the pierogi, not too many, only single layer in the pan! Return to the boil and reduce heat. When the pierogi rise to the surface, continue to simmer a few minutes more (usually about 5 minutes). At this stage reheat the sauce, careful not to let it boil. Remove one dumpling with a slotted spoon and taste if ready. When satisfied, remove remaining pierogi from the water.

Serve immediately: drizzling the pierogi generously with sauce. Cold pierogi can be fried. Uncooked can be easily frozen and boiled taken out straight from the freezer.