After I had made galumpkis, pierogi was the next logical step. At least in my mind! I made these last year using a recipe for the dough that I found on the King Arthur Flour website, and they turned out pretty well. This year, I adapted the recipe a bit, adding an extra egg, and they were even better.

Dough

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup soft butter

Filling

1 pound Farmers Cheese ( 2 8 oz. blocks), room temperature
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper
1 egg

1. To make the dough, mix the flour and salt. Add the eggs, sour cream and room temperature butter. Start with a wooden spoon, but combining everything with your hands is really best. This is a moist dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Leaving it in the frig overnight is also fine.

2. For the filling, combine the Farmers Cheese, salt, pepper and egg. Mix until well blended. This is only one possible filling. Traditional fillings include mashed potatoes and cheese, sauerkraut, meat and onions. I like the simplicity of Farmers Cheese.

4. Divide the dough into four pieces to make the rolling process easier. On a flour dusted board, roll the dough pretty thinly. About 1/8 inch. Cut out circles. I used a glass with a 3 inch diameter. I was able to cut 6 or 7 circles from each quarter.

5. Put about a teaspoon of filling on each circle. Fold the dough over the filling to create a pocket. Pinch the edges together to seal the pierogi. Mine sealed without a problem, but I’ve read that moistening the edges with a little water helps of you’re having trouble.

6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Slide a few pierogi at a time (no more than one layer) into the water. After a couple of minutes, they will float to the top. Let them cook for a few minutes more after they float. Then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels.

7. Melt butter in a frying pan. Saute the pierogi until they brown a little on both sides.

Yes, this is a little complicated. It’s also messy. But it’s traditional and really worth the effort!