Description[]
Nothing is better than a fresh perogy, stolen from the bowl just after it has been cooked. Once a year, our family would spend a whole Saturday making these so we would have a stash to freeze and use for the next year. Fairly easy to make, but the intructions are just very descript.
Ingredients[]
Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup milk, warm
- 1/2 cup potatoes, well mashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Filling
Alternate Filling
- 2-3 cups cottage cheese, drained (or use dry curd)
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1 egg
salt and pepper (taste before adding egg!)
Directions[]
- ---------Dough--------------.
- Mix dough ingredients together.
- You may have to add more liquid or flour to make the dough soft and somewhat sticky.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead more flour into dough- just enough to make it easier to handle.
- The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Do not over-knead.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl.
- Cover and let rest for 30 minuets.
- --------------Filling-----------
- Cook Onion in butter.
- Mix with potatoes, and add Cheese while the mixture is still hot.
- You may substitute Cheez Whiz for the Cheddar.
- Let filling cool before using (place in fridge.) If you are using the alternate filling, simply mix those ingredients together.
- -----------Manufacturing--------
- Set a large pot of water to boil.
- Form walnut-sized balls of the filling.
- Roll out dough on floured surface fairly thinly (3 millimeters, or 0.125 inch).
- You will probably need to add flour as you roll.
- Cut out circles approxamitely 7 1/2 centimeters (3 inches) in diameter (a wider-mouthed glass should do fine.) Press scraps into a ball.
- Place filling ball in center of dough circle.
- If the dough has a less-floury side, keep that side up.
- Fold dough over ball, and pinch edges to form a half circle.
- To prevent perogies with"horns", I pinch at the top ("90degree mark") of the perogy first, then pinch at the 180 and degree edges, working up to the 90 degree mark.
- You can cheat pinching the perogies by smearing water on the filling side of the dough at the edges, and keep your fingers floured when you pinch (on the non-filling side.) In order to prevent perogies from drying out, keep finished perogies on a floured surface, and cover with a floured clean dishcloth.
- Place several perogies in boiling water.
- Stir once, gently with a slotted spoon.
- Perogies are done when they float for a minute (this will take 2–3 minutes).
- Melt about 1/2 cup of butter or margarine in microwave.
- Rescue and drain the perogies with the slotted spoon.
- Place in a bowl, drizzle with some melted butter, and gently shake to distribute the butter.
- Cook, drain, and drizzle the other perogies in the same manner.
- Platzkies(pronounced"plutch-keys"): (The scrap dough is not tender enough to make into perogies, but make good"dumplings" by themselves.) Roll out scraps to approxamitely the same thickness as before.
- Add minimal flour, and handle dough as little as possible.
- Try to keep edges even.
- Cut dough with a knife into strips about 8 cm (3 inches) wide.
- Cut each strip into several triangles and/or squares.
- Cook strips in water until they float.
- Repeat draining and drizzling treatment as with perogies.