Pierogi & pairings
This holiday season, we wanted to share a family tradition with you, with suggested wine pairings of course!
In Poland, Christmas Eve is traditionally a meat-less meal with 12 vegetarian or fish dishes to symbolize the 12 apostles. We sit down to the table when the first star is in the sky and break bread – called opłatek – while exchanging Christmas wishes
A favorite at every Christmas Eve dinner are pierogi. And like any good family tradition, ours is laced with (mostly playful) controversy – Iza makes her maternal grandmother’s dough recipe, while her mom makes her mother-in-law’s.
Here, we’re sharing Iza’s grandma’s recipe for cheese and potato pierogi cross-referenced with Ren Behan’s Wild Honey & Rye: Modern Polish Recipes because while romantic, grandma’s instructions include somewhat unhelpful steps like “kneed the dough until it feels right.”
Enjoy with a mug of beet borscht or a Michigan wine – we included pairing recommendations at the end of this post.
Ingredients
Dough
8 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
Filling
2 lbs russet potatoes
16 oz farmer’s cheese* or small curd cottage cheese
2 large yellow onions
Olive oil or butter
Fresh ground black pepper
Toppings
Butter
Sautéed onions or bacon
*Farmer’s cheese is like a dehydrated cottage cheese. In Northern Michigan, you can find it at Olson’s or in metro-Detroit at the Polish Market in Troy or other specialty food stores. If you can’t find farmer’s cheese, cottage cheese works great!
Instructions
First, make the filling. This can be done a day or two in advance. Peel, quarter and boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and mash them. Set aside to cool.
Finely chop the onion. In a large pan, add the olive oil or butter. Sautee the onions until they are soft and starting to caramelize.
Combine the potatoes, onion, cheese (either farm cheese or cottage cheese) and a lot of fresh ground black pepper. You want the filling to be a little spicy from the black pepper. Mix everything together and salt to taste. Set aside to cool, or store in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 days.
Dump the flour onto your kitchen counter or a kneading board. Make a well at the center and add the egg and oil. Use a knife to mix together using a chopping motion. Slowly add the water until the ingredients have combined into a sticky dough.
Dust your hands with flour and form a ball. If the dough still feels sticky, add more four. Kneed until the dough is elastic, about 5 minutes. Cut the ball in half, wrapping the remaining dough in a dish cloth so it doesn’t dry out.
Prepare your work surface. You’ll want your filling ready with a teaspoon to scoop it. Spread a dish cloth over a baking sheet or cutting board and dust it with flour for your finished pierogi and have extra dish cloths ready to keep your dumplings covered while you work. Have a mug or drinking glass ready to cut out the circles of dough.
Dust the counter and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8 in thick. Use your inverted mug or glass to cut out as many circles as you can fit into the dough.
Fill each circle of dough with a teaspoon of filling. Hold the dough in the palm of your hand and fold the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges closed then use a fork to press along the edges on both sides to seal the dumpling. Be careful not to piece the dough. Set each dumpling aside on your floured dish cloth and cover them with another dish cloth to keep them from drying out. Continue until you have used all of your dough. You can keep the scraps and reform them into a ball at the end to cut out additional circles.
To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil. You will need to cook the pierogi in batches so they don’t stick together. Carefully drop the pierogi in until they cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer. The pierogi will float to the top when they are done. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Continue until you have cooked all of the pierogi.
You can serve them boiled or sauté them in butter until they are golden and crispy. We usually serve them with sautéed onion or you could top them with crispy, crumbled bacon.
Wine Pairings
A crisp, chilled white or bubbly with just a touch of acidity pairs well with the rich, peppery filling of the pierogi. We recommend pairing one of these Michigan wines.
