Ukrainian Pyrih With Cabbage Filling Recipes

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool. When the onion is cool enough to handle, mix together the ground pork, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper until well blended.
• Place the head of cabbage in a large pot, and add enough water to cover the cabbage halfway. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes. As the outer leaves become translucent and soft, remove them one at a time by peeling them off with a wooden spoon. Trim off the thick ribs at the leaf stem.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, and line the bottom with outer cabbage leaves. Lay a few more leaves on a clean work surface. Place a large spoonful of the pork mixture at the base of each leaf. Roll up towards the top. Repeat until filling is used up. Arrange the finished rolls over the leaves in the dish, and pour in just enough broth to cover the rolls. Place extra cabbage leaves over the top.
• Cover, and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. When finished, drain off broth from the dish into a small saucepan. Whisk together the flour and sour cream. Gradually stir the sour cream into the broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until heated, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, arrange cabbage rolls on a platter, cover with sauce and sprinkle with dill. This goes perfectly with homemade noodles, or millet kasha.

Steps:

• PYRIZHKY DOUGH: Dissolve the sugar and ginger in the lukewarm water, sprinkle the yeast over it, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
• To the hot scalded milk, add the butter, and cool to lukewarm.
• Add the eggs, salt, sugar, and yeast.
• Mix in enough flour to make a medium soft dough as for bread.
• Knead on a floured board until smooth and satiny.
• Return to the bowl, cover, and let it rise until double in bulk.
• Punch down, knead a few times in the bowl, and let it rise again.
• Use any favorite filling in the recipes that follow.
• TO MAKE THE PYRIZHKY, cut off small egg-sized pieces of dough, flatten each or roll 1/4 inch thick.
• Place a generous portion of the filling in the center, bring the edges together, and press to seal securely.
• (I wet the edges with a bit of beaten egg white and seal with well floured fingertips).
• All edges must be free of filling.
• Shape into an oblong with a plump center and tapering ends (like a football).
• This is the traditional shape of pyrizhky.
• As an alternative method, the dough may be rolled 1/4 inch thick, cut into squares, filled, and sealed as directed.
• Place, sealed side down, on a greased baking sheet, spacing them 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Cover and let them rise in a warm place until light, for about 1 hour.
• Brush them with a beaten egg diluted with 2 tablespoons of water or milk.
• Bake in a moderate oven (375 degree F) for 30 to 35 minutes depending on their size.
• MEAT FILLING: Cook the onion in half of the butter until it is tender.
• Add the remaining butter and the meat.
• Brown the meat lightly.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook over a low heat until done.
• Remove the meat.
• Stir the flour into the drippings.
• Add the soup stock or water, then cook, until the sauce comes to a boil.
• Combine with the meat and cool.
• Mix in the parsley and chopped eggs.
• *I like to use left-over cooked roast put through a meat grinder or food processor,is more flavourful.

Steps:

• To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the soft butter and evaporated milk; stir gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Add water only as needed, kneading continuously until dough sticks together. Place dough into a greased bowl, turn to coat, and let rest for 30 minutes.
• To make the potato filling, place potatoes into a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Saute onions in butter until tender. Mix the onions into the potatoes along with the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To make the sauerkraut and cabbage filling, pour the drained sauerkraut into a large saucepan. In a medium skillet, saute 2 onions in 1/2 cup butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the onions into the sauerkraut along with the cabbage and chicken bouillon cube. Cook over low heat until liquid evaporates. Season with pepper and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool, then run through a grinder or food processor.
• Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles. Place one tablespoon of filling onto one side of the circle. Fold the other half over and press the edges to seal. Place finished dumplings onto a floured tray and keep covered.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop 10 or so dumplings into the water at a time. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove to a colander to drain. Place finished dumplings onto a lightly oiled dish and turn them to coat with a thin layer. This will keep them from sticking together. Serve dumplings with fried onions and sour cream. Cooled dumplings also can be fried in oil and butter for a nice crispy surface.

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE FILLING: Cut the cabbages into quarters. Steam until very tender, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool. In a strong but thin linen towel, squeeze as much of the liquid from the steamed cabbage as possible. Squeeze only a small handful at a time. Discard the juice.
• Grind the squeezed cabbage with the fine blade of a meat grinder. Add the cream cheese and softened butter and season highly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Whisk the egg, milk, water, and sour cream together. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. This may take 10 minutes. Add as little additional flour as possible.
• Put ball of dough under an inverted bowl until ready to use.
• To make the varenyky, cut the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured board roll out piece of dough into a round 1/16 inch thick. Keep rest of dough covered. With a cookie cutter or glass tumbler (2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter), cut the dough into rounds. For each varenyk take 1 round of dough, stretch it a bit with your fingers, and spoon about 2 Tablespoons of the cabbage onto the center.
• Fold the circle in half and press the edges together. Crimp the edges with your fingertips into a decorative pattern if you wish. Be sure to seal the edges well or the filling may fall out during cooking. Put finished dumplings on a towel or tray that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Continue rolling dough until all the filling has been used up.
• Bring a very large kettle of water to the boil. Add 1 Tablespoon salt to the water and cook about 20 varenyky at one time in simmering water until they are tender and float (about 5 to 6 minutes.) Remove to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and dribble with butter and a bit of oil, to prevent sticking. Gently fold the varenyky in the oil. Leftover varenyky can be fried in butter and oil with fried onions.
• Makes approximately 8 dozen dumplings.