Pierogi

Ingredients

Dough

• makes about 30 pierogi
• 2 large beaten eggs plus 1/4 cup water
• 2 cup all purpose flour (+ extra for rolling)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup of potato water (use the water you boiled your potatoes in)
• * Rolling pin

Fillings

• Potato and Cheddar Cheese
• 6 medium sized potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, mixed in with potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• Cottage Cheese and Potato
• 1 tub dry cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed

Topping

• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons butter (more or less)

Directions

Dough

1. Boil the potatoes, drain and set the water aside for your dough.
2. In a large metal or glass bowl, whisk the 2 eggs. Add in 1/4 cup water to the eggs.
3. In a separate bowl mix your flour and salt together. Split the flour mixture into 2 bowls.
4. Make a well in the flour in one of the bowls and add the egg/water mixture. Begin mixing with a wooden spoon, add the remaining flour in increments and as it starts to form a soft dough use your hands to gently knead the dough into a soft ball. Add more flour if your dough is sticky.
5. Clean off a large counter surface, sprinkle with flour and get out your rolling pin.
6. Segment the dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll out your dough about 1/4 inch, keep adding spinkles of flour if your pin gets sticky.Cut your dough with a sharp knife into squares that are about 3 inches x 3 inches.

Butter Onion Topping

1. You need to have all the fillings and the topping prepared so that once your dough is ready, you have everything else ready as well.
2. In a large frying pan, put the butter and melt on low heat, add the chopped onions and fry until translucent. Set aside.
3. You may need to use more butter as you need to have enough to drizzle onto each batch of pierogi as it is cooked.

Fillings

Potato Cheddar

1. In a medium sized bowl, mash the potatoes, stir in the butter, shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let cool down.
2. Cottage Cheese and Potato
3. Spoon the dry cottage cheese into medium sized bowl and stir in the egg, salt and pepper to taste.
4. You can use this filling as is or you can add potato to it.
5. If you are adding potatoes, stir the mashed potatoes into the above mixture.

Assembly

1. Using your prepared dough squares, spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling onto your dough square, be sure not to overfill. Fold over square into a triangle.
2. Pinch your edges closed, be sure you pinch them well so they do not come apart while you cook.
3. Once the pierogi is pinched closed, place it onto a clean floured portion of your countertop. The flour is so they do not stick to the counter.

Cooking

1. On the stovetop, boil a large pot of water. Once you have 10 pierogi ready, drop them into your large pot of boiling water.
2. They will sink to the bottom. Keep the heat on high. When the pierogi float to the top of the potthey are ready, and you can use a slotted spoon to scoop them out.
3. Spoon the cooked pierogi into a large serving bowl, drizzle with a little of the butter onion mixture and gently toss. Cover with tinfoil or a lid until they are all ready to serve.
4. Continue the process until all are cooked.

Serve With

1. There are many things you can serve with your pierogi. Some favorites are sour cream & bacon bits.