Christmas in July

Hi Everyone,

I'm not doing too good a job of cooking this week, so I thought I'd share something that my family and I prepare at the Christmas holiday as part of the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner. They are called pierogi, and you may have eaten them before, or heard of them. I found this pierogi recipe in a very unlikely place - The city of Pittsburg website! PIttsburg, ..a bastion of Polish culture. I tried to put some of my own photos in, but can't find my file for them...sorry, so instead I'll give you this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSDkn3EMh1I. I am having a lot of difficulty putting the live links in...so sorry!

Pierogi dough recipe from Pittsburg: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• butter and onions for sauteing
• ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Preparation:

Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the pierogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

And that is just the dough...to make the fillings, go to the website...it's a good source of information.

Pierogi, delicious, and a lot of fun! (and work!)