December 28, 2011


Homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi (adapted from Queen Martha Stewart) For the dough:
1 large Egg2 Tbsp Sour Cream 1 cup Milk1 cup Water4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose Flour
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and sour cream together until smooth. Add in water and milk and whisk until combined. Slowly stir in 3 cups of flour, using a wooden spoon. Remove dough onto a well-floured surface and knead in another cup of flour. The dough will be a bit sticky. Knead for another 8 minutes or so, working in another 1/2 cup of flour. Don’t add too much flour – you want the dough to be elastic, not tough. Roll into a bowl and place into a floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.For the filling: (feel free to use Martha’s exact recipe – I forgot to buy cream cheese, so I got creative) 3 large Potatoes, peeled and quartered1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (the more cheese the better, right?)1/2 cup Sour Cream 1/2 stick melted ButterSalt & Pepper to taste 
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Add half of the butter, the sour cream and shredded cheese. Continue to mash until smooth, season well with salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. On a floured surface, roll out pierogi dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (I used a pierogi press, but it’s not necessary), cut as many circles as you can. Re-roll out the dough and repeat. Roll the potato filling into 1 1/2 balls and place in the center of each dough round. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges closed with your fingers, forming a crescent. Continue this process for remaining dough/filling.In batches of about five at a time, add pierogi to boiling water. Boil until they float to the surface, and then about a minute after that (they may stick to the bottom at first, lift them gently with a wooden spoon if needed).Serve immediately with sour cream, sauteed onion and/or pickled cabbage – or pan fry them with a bit of butter until browned on both sides.
Did you know that the word pierogi is plural? The singular form is pierog and is rarely used… because you can’t eat just one.


December 26, 2011


Sweet & Sour “Kielbasa” (adapted from Allrecipes)This recipe originally called for a slow cooker, which I don’t own. If you have one, use it! If you don’t, simmer over very low heat. 
5 Tbsp Butter1 large Onion, sliced3/4 Brown Sugar3 cups Ketchup4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar1 1/2 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard1 Tbsp Worcestershire powder (the original recipe called for Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies)2 tsp Hot Sauce1 package Tofurky Kielbasa  (thanks to Jarrad for doing some Whole Foods kielbasa research for me)
Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute over low/medium heat until soft. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, sugar, mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slice kielbasa into 1” pieces and add to saute pan. Mix with sauce and onions. Simmer over very low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.