Pittsburgh Pierogies!

I got a pasta maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas and, of course, I couldn't wait to make homemade pierogies! Pierogies have been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid - I'd literally eat them by the dozen when I was a teenager. We'd eat them on Fridays during Lent, serve them for Steelers parties, and sautee some whenever we got the craving. I first convinced Bill to try them when we were at Fathead's in Pittsburgh with my parents, after a Pens game. He was hooked, too. Shamefully, I have only made frozen, storebought pierogies until now; so it's time to challenge myself to make the real thing.

Here is a recipe I found on Pittsburgh.about.com:

Homemade Potato & Cheddar Pierogies
Note: I doubled the recipe below so that I would have some to freeze for later. For a double recipe, I used a total of 8 large russet potatoes. I definitely have a lot of potato mixture left over, too.

Yield will depend on how thin you roll the dough out and what size you make. I was able to make 3 dozen with a double recipe.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling
Ingredients

• 5-6 large potatoes
• 1/2 large onion
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• butter for sauteeing onion
  

Directions

1. Peel and boil potatoes until soft.
   
   
2. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. [I prefer to skip the onions in the mixture, just using potatoes and cheese]
3. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and cheese, adding salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
   
4. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, or other enhancements if you desire.
5. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.

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Pierogi Dough
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
  
  
• butter and onions for sauteing
• filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Directions

1. Mix together the flour and salt.
2. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture.
3. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat.
   
   
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
   
   

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Pierogi Preparation

1. Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick.**I used my Kitchenaid Pasta Roller tool, starting at setting 1 and working up to setting 4:
   
   
   
   
2. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. **I used a large plastic tumbler**
   
   
3. Place a small ball of filling on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle.
   
   
4. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.**I tried this but ended up pressing the edges together with my fingers, like you do to decorate a pie crust.**
   
   
5. Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes).
   
6. Rinse in cool water and let dry.
7. Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft.
   
   
8. Add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy.
   
   

Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

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Homemade Pierogi Tips

1. If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
2. If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
3. You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common.