burdick@hditest1.crd.ge.com (04/19/91)
For those parties interested in Polish cooking ...
My wife gave me her copy of "Favorite Recipes" published by The
Felician Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Enfield,
Connecticut. It is a 200+ page, soft cover book of Polish Foods and
non-Polish cuisine; it splits 35/75 as Polish/non-Polish but its very
authentic!
I have included a few recipes for review; if it looks like this book is
for you, send to the Felician Sisters for your own copy.
Special note to Eleanor Cicinsky: * Sorry Eleanor, I lost your address
but because you mentioned your interest in pierogi dough comparisons,
I have focused on those recipes; my wife recently tried making a few of
the different doughs and we found the differences among doughs to be
subtle. I've listed her/our favorite first ... good luck!
Pierogi Dough #1
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2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon salt
1 egg 2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup lukewarm water
Mix all ingredients together lightly and knead in bowl. Rest dough for
one-half hour, covered. Knead the dough on a flour coated board and
roll out to one-eighth inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cup,
glass, or doughnut cutter (we've found 4.5 to 5 inches ideal
diameter). Fill with favorite filling pressing edges well together
(like turn-overs).
Cook in boiling (gentle boil) water for about ten minutes. Remove
using slotted spoon and rinse lightly with cold water. Serve with
melted butter, salt, pepper.
Pierogi Dough #2
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1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon salt
1 egg 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup melted butter 2.5 cups flour
Sift Flour, salt, baking powder together. Add sour cream and melted
butter. Knead the dough on a flour coated board and roll out to
one-eighth inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cup, glass, or
doughnut cutter (we've found 4.5 to 5 inches ideal diameter). Fill
with favorite filling pressing edges well together (like turn-overs).
Pierogi Dough #3
----------------
1 egg 1/2 cup water, lukewarm
1 egg yolk 1/2 cup milk, lukewarm
1 teaspoon melted butter 2 - 2.5 cups sifted flour
Combine eggs, milk, water in bowl and beat until blended. Add flour,
one cup at a time to make soft dough. Knead the dough on a flour
coated board, cover with bowl and let rest for ten to fifteen minutes.
Roll out dough to one-eighth inch thickness. Cut out circles with a
cup, glass, or doughnut cutter (we've found 4.5 to 5 inches ideal
diameter). Fill with favorite filling pressing edges well together
(like turn-overs).
Pierogi Dough #4
----------------
1 egg 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk 1.75 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
Beat egg, milk and water together in bowl; slowly add flour to make
soft dough. Knead dough on flour coated pastry board until smooth;
cover with bowl and rest dough for fifteen minutes. Roll out dough to
one-eighth inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cup, glass, or
doughnut cutter (we've found 4.5 to 5 inches ideal diameter). Fill
with favorite filling pressing edges well together (like turn-overs).
Pierogi Dough #5
----------------
2 eggs 1/2 cup water
2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mound flour on pastry board (or in a large bowl) and make hole in
center. Drop eggs in center hole and cut into flour with knife or
fork. Add salt and water; knead until firm and smooth. Place bowl in
covered bowl and allow to rest for ten to fifteen minutes. Roll out
dough to one-eighth inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cup, glass,
or doughnut cutter (we've found 4.5 to 5 inches ideal diameter). Fill
with favorite filling pressing edges well together (like turn-overs).
Cabbage Filling (makes enough filling for approx. four dozen pierogi)
---------------
1 head cabbage
7 cans sauerkraut (approx 10 oz. cans ... cans usually lack
sulfites and/or other preservatives!!!)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
10 Tablespoons butter
Parboil cabbage in boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse,
drain, cool, and thoroughly wring moisture from cabbage and sauerkraut;
set aside. The drier the cabbage and sauerkraut the less time required
to complete cooking. Saute onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add
cabbage and sauerkraut and remainder of butter; cook for approximately
one half hour or until cabbage is soft and mixture is "reasonably"
dry. It is important that the mixture not be too moist in order to
prevent wetting dough during the filling process ... wet dough will
cause pierogi to break open during cooking!
Allow mixture to stand in refrigerator (in covered bowl) for twenty
four hours prior to filling pierogi dough.
Cheese Filling #1
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1 cup cottage cheese, dry
1 egg yolk
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
salt and pepper
Cream cheese with egg yolk; add salt and pepper to taste. If filling
is too thick, add sour cream.
Cheese Filling #2
-----------------
1 cup dry cottage cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks or (1 egg and 1 egg yolk)
Force cottage cheese through sieve. Mix with other ingredients
thoroughly.
Good Luck!
burdick@hditest1.crd.ge.com