Try the mouth watering, traditional Polish dish - it takes a while to prepare but it so delicious that every minute spent in a kitchen is worth it.

Pastry: 0.35kg flour, 1 egg, salt, about 1/8 l water
Sieve the flour, mix it with salt, water and egg to make the pastry and knead it until firm. Divide the pastry into a few portions and roll them out until about 0.25 cm (0.1 inch) thin.

 Cut out circles using a 5 cm (2") diameter round cutter (or a glass) and put a spoonful of filling in the centre of each circle.

Fold over and press edges firmly together. Make sure the pierogi are well sealed and put them into a large pan of salted boiling water. Stir them carefully and cover the pot. When they go up to the surface, remove the cover and continue boiling for another 2-3 minutes. Lift out of water with a perforated spoon, drain, lay on a warm plate and pour over with melted butter. For pierogi with a fruit filling, use cream instead. Pierogi ruskie or pierogi with mushrooms may be served with pork scratchings.
Filling for pierogi with mushrooms: 0.80kg fresh mushrooms, 0.10kg onion, 40g fat, 40g stale roll, 30g breadcrumbs, salt, pepper
Cut the mushrooms into thin slices, add 2/3 tbsp water, cover the pan and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Soak the roll in water or milk and stir-fry onion rings until light golden. Mince the mushrooms, roll and onion together. Add salt, pepper and breadcrumbs and work the mixture into a paste. Pour some fat with browned breadcrumbs over the pierogi when cooked.

Do's and don'ts of pierogi-making
Get the right texture for the pastry - firm enough to hold the filling without bursting, but soft enough for the edges to seal properly - roll out the pastry to an even thickness throughout.
Get the right amount of filling on each pieróg to make a puffy, cushion-like pouch, not flat and not over-full.
The cooking pan should be big enough for the pierogi to freely float up to the top when ready. Don't put in too many to boil at the same time.
Drain the cooked pierogi well; don't lay undrained pierogi one on top of another, or they'll stick and tear.
Any cooked pierogi left after the meal may be served fried as a delicious alternative way of using leftovers.

Enjoy!


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