Cottage Cheese Filling Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, egg yolks, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and baking powder. Pour in the vegetable oil and cold water, and mix or knead into a smooth dough.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, and cut into 3 inch circles using a glass, can, or cookie cutter. Place a spoonful of the cottage cheese filling onto each circle. Fold in half, and pinch the edges together to seal.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the perogies into the water, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they float. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, and place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain excess water.

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a bowl; gradually add in the flour, whisking to remove all lumps.
• Brush a small skillet with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter per crepe into the heated skillet, and tilt the pan to completely cover the surface with batter. Crepes should be about 5 inches in diameter. Cook the crepes until golden on the bottom, and set but not wet on top, 1 to 2 minutes per crepe. Don't flip the crepes. Set the cooked crepes aside.
• Mix the cottage cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl until very well combined. To fill, place a crepe in front of you on a work surface with the cooked side up, and place about 1/4 cup of cheese filling in the center of the crepe. Fold the right and left edges of the crepe over the filling, and roll the crepe over to seal the filling in, making a compact little roll filled with cheese. Set the blintzes aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and place the filled blintzes into the hot skillet. Pan-fry the blintzes until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Eat hot or cold.

Steps:

• Cottage Cheese Filling: Combine the cottage cheese with the egg and season to taste with the salt.
• If the cheese is very dry, an additional egg (or egg yolk) or thick sour cream can be added.
• Mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl.
• Add the egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
• Knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth.
• Caution: Too much kneading will toughen the dough.
• Divide the dough into 2 parts.
• Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
• Prepare the filling.
• The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.
• Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board.
• Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter, or as most old-world grandmothers did, with the open end of a glass.
• Put the round in the palm ofyour hand.
• Place a spoonful of filling in 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 the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.
• Place the pierogi on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
• COOKING: Drop a few pierogies 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 for 3-4 minutes.
• The cooling period will depend upon the size you made it, the thickness of the dough and the filling.
• Pierogies will be ready when they are 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 to prevent them from sticking.
• Cover and keep them hot until all are cooked.
• Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them.
• Top with melted butter- chopped crisp bacon and/or chopped onions lightly browned in butter.
• REHEATING: One of the great things about pierogies, is that they can be made in large quantities, refrigerated, frozen and reheated without loss of quality.
• Many prefer reheated pierogies as compared to freshly boiled ones.
• To re-heat, you can 1) pan fry pierogies in butter or bacon fat until they are light in color or 2) heat the pierogies in the top of a double boiler or in the oven until they are hot and plump or 3) deep fry them.

Steps:

• Pour milk into a small pot; bring to a boil. Add vinegar and remove from heat. Stir mixture slowly until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Allow liquid whey to drain off as curds cool, about 15 minutes. Season curds with salt.

Steps:

• Soak raisins in the wine overnight.
• Wrap the cottage cheese in two layers of cheese cloth and squeeze the liquid fron the cheese.
• Allow the cheese to continue to drain overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain the raisins and discard the liquid.
• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients well.