Mushroom Piroshki Recipes

Steps:

• In a large pan over medium heat, saute the shallots in the butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to saute until mushrooms give up their liquid, about 4 more minutes. Add the cognac and continue to cook until liquid has been reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll out the puff pastry to 1/8 inch, and cut into 2 1/2-inch squares. Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. With a pastry brush, apply a little ice water to two opposite corners of the square and bring them together. Crimp the edges to seal. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; place piroshki on sheet, with center points tucked under.
• Beat together the egg yolk and cream, and lightly brush the tops of the piroshki with egg wash. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry and chill it.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat the butter in a skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted.
• Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they give up their liquid. Cook until most but not all of the liquid evaporates. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
• Add the sour cream, dill, chopped egg and rice. Blend well. There should be about four cups. Remove to a mixing bowl and let cool.
• Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible (less than one-eighthinch thick). Using a 3 1/2-to-5-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. We used a 4-inch cookie cutter to produce 30 rounds. The dough will shrink after cutting. You may roll out the circles or rounds to make them larger or you may stretch them carefully by hand. Beat the egg with the water. Brush the top of each pastry round with the egg mixture.
• Use about two tablespoons of filling for each circle of dough. Shape the filling into an oval and place it on half of the circle of dough. Fold the other half of the circle of dough over to enclose the filling. Press the edges of the dough with the fingers or the tines of a fork to seal. Brush the tops with egg mixture to seal.
• Arrange the filled pieces on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Place in the oven and bake 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine 1 scant cup of warm milk and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit until foamy and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, egg, butter, and almost all of the flour, holding back a small amount in case dough gets too dry.
• Knead in the mixer until dough is soft and supple. Scrape dough onto your work surface. Grease the bowl with a few drops of oil and place dough back in. Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• In the meantime, heat olive oil and butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, ground beef, and garlic. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook beef, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Stir dill into the beef mixture. Add chicken broth and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes. Stir in Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Let filling cool completely.
• Transfer dough to a work surface. Press out air bubbles. Pinch off a piece of dough and form into a ball; press into a disc. Dust with a minimal amount of flour and roll into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Dip your finger in water and dampen the edges of the circle.
• Place dough circle in 1 hand and add a few tablespoons of the beef filling. Pinch edges together to seal. Place pirozhki on the table seam-side up and pinch off any excess dough; too much dough will make it hard to fry. Moisten the center of the seam with water. Fold the 2 ends inward and flip pirozhki over, seam-side down; press down lightly.
• Form the remaining pirozhki and let them rest until dough rises slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry pirozhki in batches, seam-side down, until golden brown, about 90 seconds. Flip and fry until browned on the other side, about 90 seconds more. Drain on paper towels and cool for a few minutes.

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, salt, and sugar in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Stir in sour cream with a fork just until a dough forms. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 6- by 4-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a letter, then roll out and fold in same manner 2 more times. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling:
• Cook onion and mushrooms in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned well and mushrooms are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Add livers and cook, stirring frequently, until just browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly, then pulse in food processor just until mixture holds together. Stir in salt and pepper and cool completely, uncovered, about 20 minutes.
• Assemble and bake pirozhki:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly 13-inch round (3/4 inch thick). Cut out rounds with cutter. Put 1 level teaspoon filling in center of 1 round, then fold round over filling to form a half moon, pressing edges with your fingers to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling in same manner, rerolling and cutting scraps once. Arrange 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, then brush tops of dough lightly with egg wash. Bake until pirozhki are golden, about 25 minutes (edges will open slightly during baking). Cool on a rack to warm, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly browned; drain. Stir in the onion and cook with the beef until translucent. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and dill weed to taste. Allow to cool before using.
• Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water and place in a warm location until frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and gently whisk in the eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
• Place half the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Then add the yeast solution alternately with the remaining flour, stirring after each addition. Mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl. (Note: Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough). Cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Set in a warm location and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
• Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off pieces approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the pieces into disks about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
• Fill center of each disk with a heaping tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture. Fold disks over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Arrange on a flat surface and allow to sit approximately 10 minutes.
• In an large, heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry the piroshki in batches until golden brown on one side; gently turn and fry the other side. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Steps:

• For pastry: Cut butter into pieces.
• Combine flour, butter, and salt using a knife or pastry blender.
• Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons ice water.
• Form into ball as you would pie dough.
• May need to add remaining 2 tablespoons water.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place pastry dough on floured board; roll out into rectangle.
• Fold over into thirds.
• Roll out again into rectangle.
• Continue rolling and folding five times.
• Rewrap in plastic; return to refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Grease baking sheet.
• Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness.
• Cut dough using 3 ½-inch round cutter.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on each pastry circle.
• Fold dough over making half moons; press together edges together using ice water to seal.
• Place pies on baking sheet.
• Whisk together egg yolk and 2 tblsps water; brush pies with egg wash.
• Bake about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
• For Meat Filling: sauté onion in 2 tablespoons butter until soft.
• Add ground beef and sear until light gravy forms.
• Let cool.
• Mix in egg, dill, salt and pepper.
• For Potato Filling: Fry the onions in the butter until soft and golden-brown.
• Boil the potatoes in their jackets, then peel and mash them.
• Let cool slightly.
• Season with plenty of salt and pepper and mix in the onions and egg.
• For Mushroom Filling: In a pan or skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion, and shallots in the butter until the onion is translucent.
• Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Continue to cook, stirring until nearly all the moisture is evaporated.
• Cool mixture slightly and mix in cream cheese or mashed potato.
• I like to sprinkle poppy seeds over the egg washed pastries filled with the mushroom filling.
• Note: these pastries are very good made with phyllo pastry, too.