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The Classics
Who Likes Pierogi? Recipes, Fillings and Fun Facts
Gołąbki (Stuffed cabbage rolls)
Polish Comfort Foods
Who Likes Pierogi?
Here's an interesting observation. Pierogi is probably the only Polish dish that seems to have its own patron saint. "Swiety Jacek z pierogami!", (St. Hyacinth and his pierogi!) is an old expression of surprise, roughly equivalent to the American "good grief!" or "holy smokes!" Nobody seems to know what the connection between these dumplings and the saintly 13th century monk was all about.
Standard Pierogi Dough. Sift about 2 1/2 c. flour onto breadboard. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt. Make a volcano-like crater in the flour mound and deposit 1 egg into it. Work ingredients into a dough, gradually adding about 1/2 c. cold water in a thin stream. (Some Polish cooks prefer lukewarm or even hot water.) Knead dough on floured board until firm and smooth, roll it into a ball, and let it rest 10 minutes or so beneath a warm inverted bowl. Take 1/3 of the dough at a time (leaving the rest beneath the bowl) and roll out thin. With glass or biscuit-cutter, cut dough into circles. Place a spoonful of filling on each circle slightly off center, fold in half, and press edges together with fingers, crimping to ensure a tight seal. Drop small batches of pierogi into a fairly large pot of boiling salted water, making sure not to crowd them. When boiling resumes, reduce heat to a slow boil and cook about 10 minutes. Test one to see how well dough is cooked. Remove to colander with slotted spoon and rinse lightly with cold water. Serve hot with topping of choice or let them cool and then fry them in butter to a nice golden brown. These dough recipes make 25-30 pierogi or roughly four servings.
Savory Cheese Pierogi Filling. Fill dough rounds prepared according to the above dough recipe with a mixture made by combining 1 lb. ground farmer cheese (or dry cottage cheese) with 1 whole egg, 1 extra egg yolk, and salt and pepper to taste. 1 t. sugar may be added (optional). If neither farmer cheese nor dry cottage cheese are available, drain and press out all moisture from ordinary creamed cottage cheese, which can be pulverized in a blender or ground. If filling is too wet, stir in some bread crumbs. Variations: Add 1-2 T. finely chopped chives to mixture and feel free to vary the taste with different spices like a pinch or two homemade herb pepper, hunter's seasoning, powdered caraway, crushed, dried mint leaves, etc.
Potato Pierogi Filling. Cook 1 1/2 lbs. peeled potatoes or potatoes in jackets (skins), and peel under cold running water. Mash well or put through ricer and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, lightly brown 2 finely chopped onions in 2-3 T. butter. Combine the potatoes with the onions, 1 egg, 2 T. bread crumbs, and (optional) 2 T. chopped chives. Note: The egg and bread crumbs may be omitted. For non-fast days, the onions may be fried up with a heaping T. of diced bacon or salt pork.
Sauerkraut and Mushroom Pierogi Filling. Soak 1 oz. dried Polish mushrooms 2-3 hours. in 1 1/2 c. water, then cook in same water until tender. Chop mushroom fine, return to water, and cook to reduce liquid. When you have no more than about 2 T. of almost syrupy mushroom liquid left, switch off heat and set aside. Rinse well in cold water 2 well-packed c. sauerkraut, drain in colander, press out excess moisture, chop fairly fine, place in pot, scald with boiling water to cover, and cook on med. heat 20 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer 1 finely chopped onion in 2 T. butter until transparent or slightly browned. To sauerkraut add the mushrooms and their liquid, the browned onions, and (optional) 1/2 t. sugar. Simmer on low heat under cover another 30 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When tender, uncover and allow moisture to steam away. Salt and pepper to taste then transfer to sieve, pressing out all moisture. If you like the sauerkraut very fine, you may run it through your meat grinder. 1-2 T. bread crumbs may be added to mixture.
Cabbage Pierogi Filling. Shred 1 lb. (small head) of cabbage, scald with boiling water to cover, bring to boil, and cook 3 minutes. Drain. Cover with boiling water again and cook on med. heat 20 minutes. Separately, in skillet simmer 1 chopped onion in 3 T. butter until tender, add cabbage to onions in skillet, stir to mix ingredients, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer under cover till tender. Uncover and simmer a while longer, stirring constantly until moisture evaporates. Transfer to sieve and press out excess moisture. Chop fine or grind. Besides salt and pepper, other seasoning possibilities include about 1 t. or so chopped dill, or 1/4 t. crushed caraway seeds.
Fresh Mushroom Pierogi Filling. Wash, slice or chop and simmer 16 oz. fresh, wild, or store-bought mushrooms in 4 T. butter, together with 2 finely chopped onions under cover about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and continue simmering until moisture evaporates and mushrooms begin to sizzle. Run mushrooms and onions through meat grind together with 1 stale, unsoaked kaiser roll. Add 1 egg to mixture, mix well, salt and pepper, add a little chopped parsley (optional), and firm up with a little bread crumbs if necessary. Variation: We feel adding 1 or even 1/2 oz. dried Polish mushrooms (pre-soaked, cooked and chopped as usual) greatly improves the flavor of this dish. Another possibility is to use 8 oz. of the white, store-bought mushroom and 8 oz. oyster mushrooms.
Meat Pierozki Filling. Grind 1 lb. or so boiled or roast beef or equivalent amount of assorted, cooked leftover meat. Simmer 2 finely chopped onions in 2 T. butter until slightly browned. Soak a stale kaiser roll in 1/2 c. milk until soggy and grind together with the onions. Combine ingredients well, salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with MSG. Other seasoning possibilities include a sprinkle of garlic powder, paprika, and/or marjoram, a dash of beef seasoning or hunter's seasoning. Note: Polish dumplings or dough-pockets filled with meat are usually called pierozki (little pierogi) because they are somewhat smaller in size. Use a juice glass or smaller biscuit-cutter to cut out the rounds of dough.
Fish Pierogi Filling. Simmer 2 finely chopped onions in 2-3 T. butter until slightly browned. Run the onions and 3/4-1 lb. fried or otherwise cooked fish fillets through grinder. Into mixture work 1 beaten egg and 2 T. or so bread crumbs--enough to get a filling that is not too moist. Sprinkle in 1-2 T. chopped dill and salt and pepper to taste. Variation: Boneless smoked fish may be used instead.
Pea or Bean Pierogi Filling. Soak 1 c. navy beans, lima beans, or dried yellow peas in 5 c. water overnight, then cook in same water until tender but not disintegrated. Drain in colander and allow to cool. Brown a heaping T. diced bacon, remove nuggets, and lightly brown 2 chopped onions in drippings. Grind the beans or peas and combine with browned onions and bacon nuggets. Season with salt, pepper, savory, and/or marjoram. Note: The beans or peas may also be prepared with mushrooms.
Blueberry Pierogi Filling. Wash, drain, and drip dry 1 pt. blueberries. Some cooks sprinkle the blueberries with sugar before filling pierogi, but that makes the filling quite runny. We feel it is better to fill them with just the blueberries and then sprinkle the cooked pierogi with powered or granulated sugar on serving platter. This is a great summertime favorite, the more so that the small wild blueberries found in Poland's forests are far tastier than the commercially grown variety available in America. Note: Your blueberry pierogi will be less runny if you sprinkle the berries with 1-2 T. flour or potato starch.
Cherry Pierogi Filling. Remove stems, wash and pit 1 lb. or so sweet or sour cherries. Place in colander and gently press out some of the juice, taking care not to damage fruit. Fill pierogi with 3-6 cherries each, depending on the size of your dough rounds. Sprinkling cherries with flour or potato starch will help take up some of the juice and make your pierogi less runny. Variation: If fresh fruit is not available, canned cherry-pie filling or cherry preserves containing whole cherries may be used instead. Place 2 c. pie filling or preserves (or 1 cup of each) in a pot and heat to just below boiling. Drain and sieve, and when dripping stops, use the fruit to fill pierogi.
Prune Pierogi Filling. Soak 2 c. or so prunes overnight in water to cover. Add 1-2 sugar and 1 T. lemon juice. Cook on low heat until tender. Remove pits, place prunes in sieve, and press out excess moisture, then fill pierogi.
Apple Pierogi Filling. Peel and coarsely grate 5 cooking apples. Sprinkle with a heaping T. powdered sugar and a dash or two of cinnamon.
Date Pierogi Filling. Grind 12 oz. pitted dates and 4 oz. blanched almonds. Cream 2 1/2 T. butter with 2 hard-cooked egg yolks (sieved) and 1 raw egg yolk. Combine with date-almond mixture and flavor with 1 T. rum or 1/2 t. rum extract.
Poppyseed Pierogi Filling. Scald 1 c. poppyseeds with boiling water and cook covered on very low heat until poppyseeds fall apart when rubbed between fingers. Drain well and run through grinder 2-3 times. Mix with 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 c. soaked, drained raisins, 1/2 c. ground or finely chopped walnuts, 1 beaten egg, and 1/2 t. grated orange rind. Note: Canned poppyseed filling, "doctored" with the above ingredients, may be used when there isn't time to make if from scratch.
Fried Pierogi. Spread 2 c. flour along the bottom of a large, dry skillet, sprinkle with 1 t. salt and heat, stirring frequently, until flour is lightly browned. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in just enough boiling water to bind the flour into a dough, return to heat, and mix well until dough comes away from skillet. Set aside to cool. Roll dough by hand on board into a long, narrow, even roll. Slice roll into 1/2-inch rounds one at a time, flatten between palms into a small pancake, fill with a spoonful of savory cheese filling of choice, fold over, and pinch edges together. Fry in 1 c. hot lard, vegetable shortening, or oil to a nice golden brown on both sides, drain on absorbent paper and serve immediately, topped with liquified sour cream.
Lazy (Unfilled) Cheese Pierogi. Grind 1 lb. (or slightly more) farmer cheese. Add 3 lightly beaten raw egg yolks and 2 T. soft butter. (Butter may be omitted if you're cutting down on fat.) Mix ingredients into a uniform mass and fold in 3 stiffly beaten egg whites. Stirring constantly, work in 1 c. flour, add 1/2-1 t. salt, and mix lightly. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and roll by hand into a long 1-inch roll. Even up sides and flatten top with a wide-blade knife and cut at an angle into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces. Drop the dumplings in batches into boiling salted water so as not to crowd them in pot. After they float up, cook them at a slow boil about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and serve immediately with melted butter or Polonaise topping.
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Gołąbki
CABBAGE ROLLS: Core 3 lb cabbage, place cored-side-down in pot of hot water to cover and simmer to wilt leaves. Remove outer leaves as they wilt to rack or absorbent paper to drain. When cool enough to handle shave down the thick central vein of drained cabbage leaves or pound it with kitchen mallet to soften. Place an oblong scoop of filling at the base end of each leaf. Fold sides of leaf over filling and roll up away from filling. After the gołąbki have been rolled, line the bottom of a roasting pan with half the leftover undersized, damaged or otherwise unused cabbage leaves. Place the cabbage rolls snugly in roaster in no more than 2 layers. Drench with tomato sauce (app. 3 c) and cover with remaining unneeded cabbage leaves. Bake covered in preheated 350° oven 1 hr Reduce heat to 325° and cook another hr. Switch off heat and leave in oven until cooled to room temp. They taste best when refrigerated overnight and served reheated.
GOŁĄBKI FILLING (nadzienie do gołąbków): Combine 1 lb raw ground meat (pork, pork & beef, pork-veal-beef combination, or ground dark-meat turkey) with 4-6 c undercooked rice, 1-3 chopped butter-fried onions fried and 1 egg. Mix ingredients well and salt & pepper to taste. Drench cabbage rolls in roasting pan with either of the following:
Tomato sauce
– 3 c tomato juice (plain or containing several dashes Tabasco or 1/2 c spicy-style ketchup);
– 3 c puréed tomatoes or stewed tomatoes.
– Polish American variations include using Campbell's or similar brand tomato soup, often "doctored up" with ketchup, salt, pepper, bay leaves, marjoram, or any other flavoring you may enjoy.
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Polish Comfort Foods
“Like Mamusia (or Mama), Babcia or, Ciocia Halina used to make!” This and similar phrases are heard on the PolAm scene when Polonians think back to the sights, scents and tastes of their culinary childhood. More often than not, the underlying suggestion is that the delicacies and flavors of those bygone times were superior to today's home-made and store-bought foods. The actual dishes vary from family to family, but many of them are widely shared. Here are some of them.
COLD FRUIT SOUP (zupa owocowa): Start with about 3 c. of any of the following single fruits or any combination thereof: small strawberries; blueberries; sour cherries (pitted or unpitted); peeled and sliced apples and/or pears; or halved, pitted plums. Place fruit in pot, add 5-6 c water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 8 - 10 min or until fruit is fully cooked. Dissolve 1 - 2 T potato starch (or cornstarch) in 1/2 c water or milk and stir into hot soup. Sweeten to taste (with sugar or sweetener) and (optional) season with a pinch of cinnamon, ground cloves or ground nutmeg. Simmer 2-3 min. Serve over cooked egg noodles or fried croutons. A dollop of sour cream (or low-fat yogurt) may be added to each bowl.
CROUTONS (grzanki): Allow roughly 1 slice white bread (preferably Italian, Vienna, Kaiser rolls or anything else firmer than that mushy American white bread!) and 1 t butter per serving. Cut bread into 1/2” squares and brown in melted butter in skillet to a nice crunchy golden-brown at least on 2 sides sides, taking care not to burn croutons. Variation: Rye-bread croutons have extra zest and don’t go soggy as quickly as those made with white bread.
COLD LITHUANIAN BORSCHT (chłodnik litewski): Peel 1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then slice thin into bowl or tureen. Add 1 bunch green onions chopped, 6-8 coarsely grated radishes, 2 peeled, coarsely grated brined dill pickles and 1 c of the pickle brine plus 2 -3 T finely chopped fresh dill. Drench with 6 – 8 c cold buttermilk Mix well, Add 1 c beet juice from canned beets. Salt & pepper to taste and add 1 t sugar. Refrigerate until well chilled. Serve cold over sliced hard-cooked eggs (1 egg per serving). Optional: A c of cold roast meet (esp. veal) or ham may be added for a refreshing and nutritious meal in a bowl.
DILL-PICKLE SOUP (zupa ogórkowa): Peel 1/2 lb brined dill pickles (ogórki kiszone), grate coarsely and simmer in 1 T butter 5 min or so until tender. Add to 6 c meat or vegetable stock together with 1 c dill-pickle brine and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 min. Cream soup with 1/2 c sour cream fork-blended with 1 heaping T flour. Simmer briefly. Add 2 cooked diced potatoes, salt & pepper to taste and garnish with a little chopped fresh dill. Note: Bottled dill-pickle purée is available at Polish markets and delis.
CHICKEN SOUP (rosół z kury): This is the typical Polish Sunday dinner soup, also served at weddings and other family occasions. A fryer/broiler can be used, but for that rich, old-time flavor a mature stewing chicken is preferable. Wash 1 cut-up 3 lb chicken, place in pot, add 1 T salt and 2-1/2 - 3 qts water, bring to gentle boil and cook 90 min or until meat is fairly tender. (Cook only 45 min if a fryer is being used). Skim off scum until no more forms. To broth add 1 portion soup greens and 1 halved onion, impaled on fork and charred over flame or directly on electric hot plate until blackened concentric rings are seen, 1 whole tomato, 8 peppercorns, 4 grains allspice and 1-3 bayleaves. Cook until vegetables are tender. Strain and discard all spices. Vegetables may be used in some other dish, but the carrots may be diced and served in the soup. Serve over home-made or store-bought egg noodles, poured-batter noodles (see below), cooked diced potatoes, cooked rice or barley. Calorie counters should cool and refrigerate soup overnight and discard congealed fat before reheating. Garnish with a little finely chopped parsley and/or dill before serving.
POURED-BATTER NOODLES (lane kluski): Fork-blend 2 small eggs, 6 T flour and 2 pinches of salt until mixtures is smooth. Stir in 1 T hot chicken broth or as much as needed to get a nice pourable batter and beat with fork until smooth. Pour batter in a thin stream into a pot of rapidly boiling water and cook about 2 min. Remove with slotted spoon and serve in broth.
FRESH TOMATO SOUP (zupa pomidorowa ze świeżych pomidorów): Wash, hull and quarter 1-1/4 lb fresh tomatoes and simmer covered on low heat with several T stock and 2 T butter 15-20 min. Sieve into 6 c meat or vegetable stock and season to taste with salt, pepper and a little sugar. Cream with 1/2 c sour cream or 1 c milk fork-blended with 1 heaping T flour. Simmer briefly and serve over noodles or rice. Variation: When fresh vine-ripened tomatoes are out of season, simply stir 4-5 T tomato concentrate directly into hot stock and proceed as above.
FLATTENED MEATBALLS (mielone kotlety): Soak 2 stale bread rolls (app. 1/4 lb) in milk until soggy. Fry 2 sliced onions in a little fat until golden. Run drained soaked bread and onions through meat-grinder or process briefly. Combine with 2-1/4 lbs ground pork, pork & beef or pork-beef-veal meatloaf mixture. Add 2 eggs, mix well by hand to blend ingredients and salt & pepper to taste. Form 12 - 14 meatballs depending on size desired. Fry in hot fat as is or, if you prefer crustier cutlets, first dredge in flour or a 50-50 flour and bread-crumb mixture. Fry to a nice golden-brown on both sides, flattening them somewhat with spatula. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low another 10 min or so until fully cooked. The pan drippings may be used to garnish the potatoes or groats with which the cutlets are served.
MEATLOAF (klops): Proceed as above. Mix well, shape into a loaf and place at the center of cakepan greased with oil or in loafpan. May be covered with a sheet of aluminium foil. Bake about 1 hr or longer in preheated 350° oven. Leave in oven after switching off heat 30-60 min. Use pan drippings as gravy base if desired. Optional: In both meatball and meatloaf recipes meat mixture may be additionally seasoned with a pinch or marjoram and/or garlic powder.
NOODLES & CHEESE (kluski z serem): This simple. homey dish can be made with home-made or store-bought egg noodles. Simply cook the noodles in boiling salted water until tender, drain well, return to pot and stir in crumbled white (farmer) cheese (1/2 - 1 c crumbled cheese per 3-4 c cooked noodles. Turn out onto platter and top with fried fatback nuggets and as much of the drippings as you like. Optional: Add a dollop of sour cream to each portion. Tastes almost like cheese pierogi with a lot less fuss!
POTATO PANCAKES (placki kartoflane): Grate 2-1/4 lbs peeled potatoes by hand or in processor and transfer to sieve placed over container to catch the drippings. When dripping stops,pour off clear liquid and add remaining white sediment (potato starch) to grated potatoes. Add 1-2 small grated onions, about 2 T flour, 2 eggs and salt & pepper. Mix well and spoon batter into hot fat. With spatula flatten pancakes slightly, since thin ones cook better. Fry to a nice crispy, golden brown on both sides and drain on absorbent paper. Serve immediately with just sour cream, just sugar or both sour cream & sugar. Some people like them just plain, perhaps with only a pinch of salt for flavoring. They can also be drenched with meat or mushroom gravy, goulash or other stew-like dish.
SUMMER BIGOS (młoda kapusta duszona z kiełbasą): Remove the skin from 1 lb smoked kiełbasa and dice or slice into thin rounds. Place in pot, add boiling water to cover and simmer covered 30 min. Wash well 1 head cabbage at the loose-leaf stage (not yet formed into a compact head). Trim away base and any wilted or damaged leaves. Chop cabbage coarsely and add to sausage pot. Mix well and simmer under tender. In saucepan lightly brown 2 T flour in 2 T bacon or fatback drippings and stir into cabbage. Simmer covered another 5 min. Season with salt, pepper and ground caraway, sour to taste with lemon juice and garnish with chopped dill. Note: Mature cabbage may also be used, but requires somewhat longer cooking.
CALIFLOWER POLONAISE (kalafior ze zrumienioną bułką): Remove any green leaves from base of cauliflower and trim off core. Place cauliflower cored-side-down in a pot tall enough so the cauliflower is at least 3” from the top rim. Add cold water coming up 1/3 of the way up the cauliflower and 1 t salt, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook covered at a gentle rolling boiling about 20 - 30 min or until fork-tender. Meanwhile, in saucepan heat 3-4 T butter until it bubbles, stir in 2-3 T bread crumbs and simmer, stirring frequently, until it is nicely browned. Remove cooked cauliflower from pot, drain well, place on serving platter and spoon the browned bread-crumb topping over it. This can be an accompaniment to roast chicken or other meats or a nice vegetarian meal in itself with some sliced tomatoes and dilled, buttered new potatoes on the side.
DILLED POTATOES (kartofle z koperkiem): This is best when small new potatoes are available but is also good with mature potatoes. Place 2-1/4 lbs peeled potatoes leaving small ones whole and halving or quartering larger ones. Place in pot, cover with boiling water, add 2 t salt and cook on med heat about 30 min or until fork-tender. Drain. Dot with butter (about 1 T) and garnish with finely chopped fresh dill. Toss gently to evenly coat potatoes with melting butter and dill. Note: Apart from being part of main courses such as roast chicken or breaded pork cutlets, dilled new potatoes make a nice summer lunch or light supper served with a bowl of cold buttermilk or sour milk (eaten with a spoon like soup) on the side.
CUCUMBERS & SOUR CREAM (mizeria): Peel 2 cucumbers and slice into thin rounds. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, 2- 3 pinches sugar and 2t lemon juice or vinegar. Lace with 1/2 – 2/3 c fork-blended sour cream (or plain yogurt for weight-watchers). Optional: Garnish with chopped dill. Variation: Add 1 small thinly sliced onion for added zing.
CARROT-APPLE-HORSERADISH SALAD: (surówka z marchwi i jabłek z chrzanem): Combine 4 washed, peeled finely grated carrots with 2-3 peeled, cored, coarsely grated apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice, toss and stir in 1-2 heaping T prepared horseradish. Season to taste with salt (sparingly), sugar and lemon juice. Stir in 1 heaping T sour cream and/or mayonnaise or more to taste.
PLUM CAKE (placek ze śliwkami): Beat 1/2 c butter and 1 c sugar until smooth (about 2 min). Continue beating, adding 2 eggs 1 at a time. Mix 2 c flour with 2 t baking powder and 1/4 t salt and sift into bowl. Gradually stir in the butter-sugar-egg mixture, 1/2 t vanilla extract and 3/4 c milk, beating the whole time until smooth. Transfer dough to greased square or rectangular baking pan. Top dough with ripe Italian plum halves (węgierki) cut-side-up and sprinkle with a pinch or 2 cinnamon (optional). Dot with about 2 T cold butter and bake in preheated 350° oven about 40-45 min, or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
STRAWBERRY KISIEL (kisiel truskawkowy): Kisiel (pronounced: KEY-shell) is untranslatable and might be best described as a “jelly-pudding”. In saucepan combine 1 c water and app. 1/2 c sugar and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Dissolve 3 T potato starch in 1/2 c cold water, stir into hot sweetened water in saucepan and bring to boil stirring constantly. Add just under 1 lb hulled, washed, dried, crushed (processed) strawberries. Mix well. Portion out into dessert bowls pre-rinsed with cold water. Chill. Serve with cold milk, coffee cream, half & half or vanilla sauce (The latter can be easily whipped up by combining 1 c cold milk with just enough instant vanilla pudding mix to produce a nice, pourable sauce!)
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