Pierogi with Sweet Cheese

• Pierogi  are  little semi-circular parcels of pasta which are made with a multitude of fillings.
• I wrote a very large post about them over 4 years ago.
• Today I am looking at ones with a sweet filling  – in this post – sweetened twaróg – curd cheese.
• Pierogi with sweet fillings are made in just the same way as savoury ones.
• Circles of dough have a filling placed on them.  The dough is folded over and pinched to make a semi circle and these are boiled in slightly salted water.
• Once boiled, sweet pierogi are dredged with icing, granulated or caster sugar and are often served with soured cream.  They are best eaten straight away.
• I must admit that when I was younger I did not really like sweet pierogi but now I think they are utterly delicious especially when served with soured cream.

Sweet Cheese Filling

Ingredients

• 200g curd cheese/twaróg or yoghurt cheese
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk or 1 tablespoon of soured cream
• 1- 2 drops of vanilla essence
• Tiny pinch of salt

Method – Filling

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.

Ingredients – Dough

• 250g pasta flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
• 150ml water
• 1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk

Method – Dough

• In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and the yolk.
• Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Pour in the liquid from the jug and initially use a knife to mix this into the flour and then use your hands to mix the liquid and flour to get a ball of dough.

• Turn this out onto a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until you have a smooth ball.
• Cover and leave to rest for about ½ an hour.
• *
• Cut the dough into half.
• Prepare a large tray and cover it with a clean cotton or linen tea towel and sprinkle this with flour.
• On a floured board roll out the dough a half at a time until you have a sheet of thinly rolled dough.
• Cut out circles using a 7 cm diameter cutter.
• The excess dough can be re-mixed and rolled out again.
• Around a half tablespoon of filling is put on  each circle and then they are folded over and the edges pinched together to make a good seal.
• You learn from experience how much filling to put in as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling.  Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens – even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
• Place the sealed pierogi on prepared tray until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
• *
• To cook the pierogi, use a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a drizzle of oil.
• Drop the pierogi in one by one and allow them to boil.  I usually do about 6 to 7 at a time.
• As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 minutes and then remove them with a slotted or perforated spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain and serve.
• Continue boiling batches in the same water.
• If you want to make all the pierogi to serve together then you need to get a large oven proof plate.
• Keep the plate warm in a low oven.
• As you take out the cooked pierogi add them to the plate trying not to make them touch.
• Keep on adding more as they cook.

To Serve

Sprinkle with icing, granulated or caster sugar and some soured cream.

Served here on Royal Doulton – Carnation –  1982-1998