Homemade Pierogies with Apple Kielbasa

HOMEMADE PIEROGIES with APPLE KIELBASA

3/16/2016

One of the wonderful things about living in Cleveland is exploring all of the wonderful ethnic restaurants, and experimenting with old-fashioned ethnic foods that are new to our family. For most of our friends and neighbors, there is nothing new or exciting about pierogies - they have been enjoying these during Lent and at other family holidays for generations. But for those of us who have transplanted to the area, discovering pierogies for the first time, and more specifically discovering the absolute deliciousness of HOMEMADE pierogies, is a wonderful treat!

One of my good friends shared her family recipe and the history of pierogies in her family - absolutely had me in awe! Linda hosts periodic pierogie parties - lining up workers in her beautiful kitchen - each one trained for their task, and they pump out 400 of these during an exhausting day of flour, fun and memories.

Homemade Pierogies

These are the most beautiful homemade pierogies I have ever seen....or enjoyed! They are pierogie perfection - simple and each bite filled with flavor.

The hard and time-consuming task is making these beauties, but once you have a taste of the finished product, you will always want more! (And I'm guessing that a supply waiting in the freezer makes everyone REALLY happy!)

Homemade Pierogies & Apple Kielbasa

I started by making a batch of Apple Kielbasa, but you can also simply saute your kielbasa and onions if you prefer, and serve with a side of natural applesauce.

Apple Kielbasa is so easy to make - slice up two pounds of your favorite smoked kielbasa and brown in a skillet. Mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar into 3 cups of unsweetened applesauce. Layer the kielbasa, onions and applesauce mixture in a slow cooker; set to low and cook for 4 to 6 hours.

If you are using frozen homemade pierogies, thaw by putting them in boiling water for a few minutes. When they rise to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. When hot, layer the pierogies in a single layer and saute until golden and just starting to brown a little; flip and saute the other side until golden.

Homemade Pierogies with Apple Kielbasa

And now is the best part! Serve your wonderful, golden and hot pierogies with hot Apple Kielbasa, wonderfully flavored onions, and a dollop of fresh sour cream. You can always garnish with some snipped chives.

Even after my "tentative" eaters had tried a bite, they were scrambling for more....and begging for me to make these again soon.

Hope that you enjoy this wonderful and old-fashioned homemade treat as much as we did!

Homemade Pierogies with Apple Kielbasa

HOMEMADE PIEROGIES with APPLE KIELBASA

Homemade potato & cheese pierogies - tender pillows of pierogie perfection! Served with caramelized onions and fresh sour cream, with Apple Kielbasa on the side make for the BEST pierogi dinner ever!

Homemade Pierogies with Apple Kielbasa

LINDA’S STORY BEHIND THE PEROGIES:
“Although my Mom was Italian, my Dad's family was Polish and Lithuanian. My Mom learned to make great pierogies. We always had them for Christmas and, of course, on Fridays during Lent. Although the recipe below was developed by my sister-in-law Kathie as a manageable size for one person to make, my Mom always made huge batches, usually 400. She said, "It's not worth messing up the kitchen unless you make a big batch."

We make pierogies in assembly line fashion, with one person at the pot to keep the batches moving along. This is a great recipe for a family project – little kids can roll the potato balls, older kids can pinch and seal and teenagers can manage the pot. It was a real mark of adulthood when you were entrusted with the rolling pin.

I know that some cooks use filling other than potatoes, but my family uses only the potato and cheese variety.

A note on the potatoes: When I was growing up, instant potatoes never made an appearance in our home. My Mom boiled potatoes and mashed them. Years after I moved away, I happened to be home while she was making pierogis and found, to my surprise, that she was using instant potatoes. She told me she had been using instant for years; obviously, I had not noticed the difference!”

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Large bowl and pot, rolling pin, cookie cutter or cup, forks, cookie sheets and freezer bags for the freezing stage. Helps to have many hands on deck!

YIELD: 6 to 7 dozen per batch; you can multiply this recipe to your heart’s content!

INGREDIENTS & HOW WE MAKE THIS:

Filling
Hungry Jack Instant Potatoes
1 brick Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (freshly grated)
Freshly ground black pepper

Using Hungry Jack Instant Potatoes, make 8 servings, plus add extra flakes to make stiff potatoes. While hot, immediately add extra sharp cheddar cheese to taste. (I would use one brick for 8 servings.) Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
Let potatoes cool as you make the dough. When ready to assemble, make balls of the potato mixture, about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Dough
4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for rolling surface and if dough needs it)
1 cup water
1 egg
4 tablespoons sour cream
Cooking oil

Put flour in large bowl. Beat the egg into the water with a fork, then add all to flour. Add the sour cream. Mix initially with wooden spoon, then with hands. You will need to add more flour if dough is sticky. Dough will be soft.
Put on a large pot of water to boil. Add a bit of oil to deter pierogies from sticking together.
Cut off a chunk of dough that is manageable to roll out. Roll out on floured surface using rolling pin until about same thickness you would use for pie crust. Using a round cookie cutter (or a glass or cup) about 4 inches wide, cut circles out of the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
To assemble the pierogies, put a potato ball slightly off center on a circle of dough, and bring the dough over the potato ball to cover it. Pinch closed with your fingers, then with a fork to seal securely. (Kids can help with this, too, but it's important to be careful with the fork so you don't leave holes in the pierogies; if the pierogies are ripped or not securely sealed, they will come apart while cooking.)
Set assembled pierogies on a flour covered surface until you are ready to parboil them. The number you cook at a time depends on the size of your pot. The pot should not be too crowded. I use a stock pot and put in about 15 at a time. The parboiling is done when the pierogies rise to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put in colander to drain.
Because we make large batches, we always freeze most of the pierogies. To freeze, place on a cookie tray, without letting pierogies touch each other, and put in freezer until solid. Then put them into good freezer bags, in batches that suit your needs. I usually freeze 2 dozen in each bag.

COOKING & SERVING:
Pierogies are versatile and can be prepared much like potatoes. If you are using frozen pierogies, thaw by putting them in boiling water for a few minutes. When they rise to the top, remove with slotted spoon and drain in colander.

From there, the common cooking methods are sautéing and frying. For the sauté method, we cook up sliced onions in a mixture of half butter and half oil, cook until the onions are soft and just starting to brown a little, then add the drained pierogies, mix gently, heat through and serve.

Some people prefer pierogies fried. They brown up nicely, sort of like french fries, but you need only a small amount of oil or butter to fry them.

For accompaniments, the typical garnish is sour cream. While it's not my preference, some folks like ketchup on fried pierogies.

SOURCE: Linda Striefsky

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