Pierogi Party

This past Saturday, my mom, my Aunt Carol, and I went to my grandparent's house to learn how to make my Babcia's pierogis. It normally takes my Babcia three days to make all the pierogis our family consumes on Christmas Eve. Mind you, we make about 35 each of kapusta (AKA saurkraut), prune, apricot, and cheese filled pierogis.


Mom Sugars the Prunes


Julia Rolls Out The Dough


Aunt Carol Stuffs Pierogi


Aunt Carol & My Babcia

Here is the recipe:

Babcia’s Pierogis

3 cups flour
1 ½ cup instant mashed potatoes, cooked
1 egg
soft-serve margarine
water
sauerkraut
prunes
apricots
farmer’s cheese
sugar
lemon juice

Following the directions on the box, make instant mashed potatoes for six.

Using a pastry blender, blend flour and mashed potatoes until flour is gone. Beat the egg in a measuring cup and then add enough water to make it ¾ cup. Add egg mixture to dough and mix with pastry blender and then with hands until all flour is completely mixed in. Divide into three parts.

In a 6 quart pot, boil water and have a second 6-quart pot of cool water near by.

Cover board/counter with flour, coat rolling pin with flour. Roll out a dough ball, rolling from center out to about a large frozen pizza size. Turn over, add a little more flour to the board and roll out from center again, making sure to roll ends as well. Flip again so that the “sticky” side is facing up.

Saurkraut: add a tablespoon

Prunes/Apricots: coat fruit in sugar and put two in each pierogi

Cheese: add a large tablespoon
Cheese Filling Recipe:
3 lbs farmer’s cheese
¾ cup white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together

Put filling near end of dough, flip other side over and press down. Use Babcia’s round cutting thing or a knife to cut out pierogi. Press edges together firmly.

Once you have 15 pierogis, add to boiling water for 10 minutes or until they float/edges get “done.” Shock the pierogis in the pot of cold water. After shocking them, use your hands to coat one side of the pierogi with soft-serve margarine