One Perogy Two Perogy

Perogies with Potato and Wild Mushroom, or Two Cheese Filling

This is my recipe for perogies with a fluffy, mashed-potato-infused dough—one that was published in my first cookbook, The Wild West Cookbook. There are two filling options in this recipe—either potato with two cheeses, or potato with cheese and wild mushroom. Don’t forget the fried onions and sour cream to serve on the side.

Dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cold mashed potatoes

3 Tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Mushroom Filling:

1 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 oz/25 g dried wild mushrooms, rehydrated, and minced

3 cups cold mashed potatoes

1 cup mixed grated cheeses (Cheddar, Fontina, Asiago, etc.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Filling:

3 cups cold mashed potatoes

½ cup shredded old Cheddar cheese

½ cup ricotta or creamed cottage cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Sliced onions, fried in butter

Sour cream

Chopped green onion or crisp, crumbled bacon

To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine flour, mashed potatoes, oil or melted butter, and salt. Mix with your hands until crumbly. In a measuring cup, beat the egg with enough lukewarm water to make 1 cup. Gradually add to the potato mixture, just until you have a soft, not sticky, dough. Knead lightly for a couple of minutes on a floured surface. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

If making the mushroom filling, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté over medium heat until tender. Cool slightly, then mix into the mashed potato. Add the cheese and combine. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the cheese filling, in a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, shredded Cheddar, and ricotta. Season to taste. Set aside.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece to ⅛-¼ inch thickness. Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut into 3-inch circles. Fill each with 1½ teaspoons of filling, stretch dough over to form a half-moon shape, pinching the edges well to seal each dumpling. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, setting the perogies on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment as they are filled.

To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and carefully add the perogies, one at a time. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to make sure the perogies don’t stick to the bottom. When they rise to the top, cook a few minutes more, until they puff, then lift from the water using a slotted spoon and place in a warm bowl, drizzling each layer with melted butter.

Serve with fried onions, sour cream, and chopped green onions or crispy bacon to garnish.

Makes about 8 dozen perogies.

NOTE: You’ll need 5 cups of mashed potatoes for this recipe. Start with about 3 pounds of potatoes to boil (a dry variety like russets works best). You can also freeze the uncooked perogies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then package in bags to boil later. If you have leftover cooked perogies, fry them in butter to reheat.

Varenyky

This is the recipe published in Traditional Ukrainian Cookery by Savella Stechishin in 1957, the bible of Ukrainian-Canadian cooking. Tenderness depends on several factors, she writes, but “cool water gives a softer dough” and too many eggs make it tough. Omitting egg whites and using only yolks gives “superlative results,” and “to assure tenderness,” add ½ cup of cold mashed potatoes and 1 Tbsp of melted fat to her standard recipe.

The filling recipes in her book range from dry cottage cheese with beaten egg to potato/cheese, sauerkraut, mushroom, cabbage, and leftover ground meat or fish with sautéed onions.

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 egg or 2 egg yolks

½ cup or more water

Mix flour with salt in a deep bowl. Add the egg and enough water to make a medium soft dough. Knead on a floured board until smooth. Too much kneading will toughen the dough. Divide dough into two pieces, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Prepare filling (it should be thick enough to hold its shape). Roll dough quite thin on a floured board. Cut into rounds with a large biscuit cutter or with the open end of a glass. Put a round in the palm of a hand. Place a spoonful of the filling on it, fold over to form a half-circle and press the edges together with the fingers. The edges should be free of filling. Be sure that the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.

Place the varenyky on a floured board or a tea towel without crowding them. Cover with a tea towel to prevent drying. Drop a few at a time into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. Do not attempt to cook too many at a time. Stir very gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue boiling rapidly for 3-4 minutes. Varenyky are ready when they are well puffed. Remove them with a perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly. Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter and toss very gently to prevent sticking. Cover and keep them hot until all are cooked. Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them. Top with browned buttered bread crumbs. The traditional accompaniment to varenyky is “smetana” (sour cream) or chopped crisp bacon or both. Some enjoy them with a chopped onion lightly browned in butter.