Meat Pierogi Recipes

Steps:

• Wash and dry meat. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook in the 350 degree oven until cooked through. Take out, set aside to cool (preserved juices from cooking).
• In the mean time, chop the onion and sauté in butter.
• Once meat cools, cube and put through a meat grinder with the attachment with the smallest holes.
• To ground up meat, add juices from roasting (about 2 cups, if not enough juices were produced, add water or broth), sautéed onion, melted butter (1/2 stick), salt, pepper, marjoram and minced garlic.
• Mix well. Taste. Add salt, if needed. Set aside.
• To make dough, combine all ingredients (I do about half of this recipe at a time, as that's as much my mixer holds). Put a large pot full of salted water on for a boil. Add a splash of oil, to prevent sticking.
• In batches, roll out dough to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. With a glass, cut out circles. Fill each circle with about a 1.5 tsp of filling (or more if you'd like), close each pieróg and press edges with a fork to seal (see video below).
• Drop into boiling water, turn heat down to low and with a spoon lightly stir off the bottom, to prevent sticking. Water should only be slightly simmering (not rolling boil). When all pierogi float to the top, they are done. Remove from pot and place on a large surface to cool (without touching), or serve topped with sautéed onion.
• This recipe makes about a 100 pierogi. They freeze well. Place in a dish in layers, separated with parchment paper. Once frozen, place in a plastic bag. To thaw, place in a sautéing pan with about 1/4 cup of water, and a couple tablespoons of butter, cover and cook for a few minutes, until water evaporates. Uncover and sauté until golden brown.

Steps:

• Grind the meat with bread.
• Add the onions which have been sauteed in the drippings.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• To prepare dough, mix the egg with the flour, add a dash of salt and as much water as needed to knead a smooth loose dough.
• Roll out as thinly as you can.
• Cut out 2 1/2 to 3 inch squares.
• Put a little of the stuffing on each square.
• Fold to form a triangle, pinch the edges together.
• Cook in a large kettle with boiling salted water on high heat for 5 minutes.
• Remove with a colander spoon to a warmed serving platter.
• Add the bread crumbs to the butter and fry for a few minutes on low heat.
• Pour over the pierogi.

Steps:

• Make a well from the flour. Add eggs and about 1/2 cup of water. The amount of water will vary according to the weather. You want to make a stiff dough. Divide it into 3 equal portions and knead until silky smooth.
• Fillings: We usually make cheese and kapusta (sauerkraut), but you can use meat, potatoes, or even fruit.
• Saute onion in butter until just soft. Add kapusta and brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow time for the filling to cool before assembling pierogi, otherwise they will fall apart when cooked. If making more than one filling, this one can cool while you prepare the others.
• Mix well.
• To assemble and cook pierogi: Roll out a portion (or half portion, if space is limited) of the dough on a floured surface as thinly as possible -- somewhere between a wonton and a thin pizza. Put about a tablespoon of filling on the dough and use a large plastic cup (a big gulp-type cup works really well) to cut a circle around the filling. Dampen half of the circumference of the circle with a bit of water on your finger and fold into a dumpling. Boil the dumplings a dozen at a time in a big pot of salted water until they float -- no more than 3 minutes. At this point you can freeze them in bags for later use. To prepare for serving, brown the pierogi in a skillet using a bit of butter. If you want to be really traditional you can use bacon grease. Alternately, you can bake them in a casserole, spraying both the casserole and the pierogi with a butter flavored spray, and putting a few pats of butter on top of the dumplings.

Steps:

• To prepare the sauerkraut filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate to cool.
• For the mashed potato filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir into the mashed potatoes, and season with salt and white pepper.
• To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and the sauerkraut filling.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add perogies and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.