Recipe for Homemade Potato Cheddar Perogies

Hello friends!

Last week, I made my very own perogies (Polish potato dumplings) from scratch!  I felt quite proud of myself because they turned out so well, considering it was my first attempt.  Our family loves perogies. In the past, we've bought frozen perogies from the grocery store, purchased homemade ones (frozen and cooked) from Polish farmer's market vendors, and even ordered them at restaurants.  I had been wanting to make them myself for quite some time and I finally got around to it...and I'm so glad I did! It took quite some time to prepare the perogies from start to finish, but the end result was worth the extra time and effort.

The recipe I used was one I had clipped out from last year's April edition of Chatelaine magazine.  Several people asked me for the recipe when I posted a picture of the perogies on my Instagram account, so I am going to share the recipe here exactly as found in the magazine.

* The red text are my additions/revisions *

Loaded Polish Potato Perogies 

Makes 65 perogies ( I made the entire batch, boiled half and froze the uncooked half for another time)

Preparation time - 1 hour 30 minutes  (It probably took me double that time to prepare the entire batch)

Ingredients

Dough

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (only 4 cups for the dough)

1 tsp salt 

2 eggs 

1 1/2 cups sour cream (only 1 cup for the dough)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, cubed

Filling

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered (750 g) (I used the potatoes I had on hand)

3 strips of bacon, chopped 

4 green onions, chopped ( I omitted the bacon and onions in the filling and topped the perogies with those ingredients instead) 

1 1/2 cups grated old cheddar (I used 2 cups for a stronger cheddar taste)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper 

Directions

Stir 4 cups flour with salt in a large bowl.  Whisk eggs with 1 cup of sour cream in a medium bowl, then stir into flour mixture along with butter until dough comes together.  Knead dough on a lightly floured counter, dusting with more flour, until it is smooth and not sticky.

Divide dough into 2 portions, pat into 2 discs and wrap each with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days)

Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until soft, about 20 min.

Omit this next step if you are not including bacon in the filling

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until crisp, 3 to 5 min.  Drain on paper-towel-lined plate.  Do not clean pan.  Reserve 1/4 cup green onions for garnish.  Add remaining green onions to bacon fat.  Cook until soft.  1 to 2 min.  Transfer to plate with bacon.  

Drain cooked potatoes, then return to the pot.  Mash potatoes with bacon, cooked onions, cheese, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  

Dust counter with remaining cup flour.  Roll out 1 disc of dough until 1/8 in. thick.  Cut out 2 1/2 inch wide circles with a cookie cutter (or drinking glass).  Keep dough covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.  Scoop a heaping teaspoon of filling onto each round and fold the dough over, forming a half moon.  Pinch edges tightly to seal.  If dough won't seal, dab edges with water. (I dabbed the edges of all the perogies with water just to be safe). Gather scraps of dough, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Repeat with remaining disc of dough.  Gather up scraps, combine with dough from refrigerator, re-roll and cut out more circles.  

Fill same large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Slip about 12 perogies into boiling water and cook 5 to 6 minutes. Once perogies float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining perogies.  

Pat dry and serve topped with remaining 1/2 cup sour cream and reserved green onions.  Or melt butter in a frying pan and fry perogies in batches, adding more butter if needed, until crispy, 2 min per side.  Top with sour cream and green onions. 

Make ahead tip: Freeze uncooked perogies in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Store in freezer bags up to 2 weeks.  Cook from frozen as per directions above, adding 2 minutes to cooking time.  

To garnish the perogies, I sauteed sliced onions and bacon; added a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled them with chopped green onion.  Mmm!  They were so delicious!  

Making Palmiers

 Have you ever baked palmiers before?  I made them for the first time last week.  Aren't they pretty?  You won't believe how easy they are to make! Days before I made these, my friend Laura posted a photo of the palmiers she made.  They looked so gorgeous and perfect; I wondered how did she make those?  She kindly shared the recipe with me.  Thank you again, Laura!  I made them and posted a picture to Facebook and received several requests for the recipe.  Here is the link to Ina's recipe...  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/palmiers-recipe/index.html

I thought you'd like to see how I made them...

First, I sprinkled one cup of sugar onto my counter top.  Next, I rolled one sheet of cold puff pastry dough into a 13x13 inch square and sprinkled it with 1/2 cup of sugar.  I folded the edges towards the center, as you can see above...

I folded the dough again, so the two folds met in the center.  Finally, I folded it in half; like a book (as you can see in the above photo).  I ended up with six layers of dough.  I carefully placed the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and put it in the freezer for fifteen minutes.  This step helps stiffen the dough so it is easier to cut and retain its shape.

After fifteen minutes, I removed the dough from the freezer and cut it into 3/8-inch slices.  I put them on a baking pan, flipped each slice on its side and slightly opened them up to form heart shapes. 

I baked mine at 425 degrees F for six minutes.  I flipped them over with a spatula and continued baking them for approximately five minutes.  It's important to keep a close eye on them, as the sugar can burn easily.  

Be very careful not to touch the palmiers with your fingers when you flip them.  I got a bad burn on my index finger - the caramelized sugar is really HOT!  Make sure to use oven mitts, like I did, after I got burned.  

Let cool on a baking rack...

...and watch them disappear before your eyes!

I

YOU!

Pissaladiere S'il Vous Plait!

Yesterday evening, I made something new for dinner, something I had never made (or even heard of before) -  it's called Pissaladiere.  It resembles a pizza, but is topped very differently.  It originated in the region of Southern France.  Before I go on, I have to thank my dear friend, Rachel, for giving me the inspiration to try this new dish.  She posted it on her delicious food blog www.browniesformozart.blogspot.com .  When I saw the photo of the scrumptious looking pissaladiere she made, I looked on-line for a recipe so I could try it myself.  My friend Rachel, made the dough for hers from scratch.  I cheated and bought ready-made pizza dough.  It turned out so lovely, I am going to make the dough from scratch next time. 

I found a great recipe for Pissaladiere on the Epicurious website.  I adapted the recipe to my own liking.

I sliced 3 large vidalia onions very thinly and minced 4 cloves of garlic.  I used 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme and 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary (finely chopped) from my garden.  In a large skillet, I heated 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and sauteed the onions, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and a bay leaf over low heat with the lid on for approximately 40 minutes.  Every once in a while, I gave it a little stir with my wooden spoon.

This is what it looks like when it is done - the onions are sweet and caramelized and the liquid is evaporated.  DELICIOUS!  This will be the "tomato sauce" for your pizza.  Now stir in one tablespoon of capers (drained).  Let it sit and cool.  In the meantime, get your pizza dough from the fridge and let it rise on your counter top for approximately 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough using flour to prevent sticking.  Place in a round pizza pan, lightly dusted with yellow cornmeal.  Spread your onion mixture evenly on your dough, leaving an edge for the crust.  Next, add approximately 20 kalamata olives and anchovies.  It is common to use anchovies, but I only put it on half the dough, because the girls wouldn't like and I am not a big fan either.  They are a bit too salty for my taste.  But, Nuno loves them!

Unfortunately, in all the excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the dough and all the toppings before I popped it in the oven at 425 degrees F (400 degrees F using my convection oven) for 30 minutes.

And here it is, in all it's glory!  I must say, I wasn't sure if the girls were going to like it, but they did!  The onions almost melt into the dough and become crispy.  The flavor of the onions is so mild, with a hint of thyme and rosemary and the saltiness of the olives and anchovies counter balance the sweetness.  This was wonderful.  Nuno and loved it.  It was something new and different.  I will definitely be making this again.  Thank you to Rachel for the inspiration!  Maybe I have inspired YOU?

I will leave you with this great quote...

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw

Free Rhubarb Makes For Some Yummy Pie!

Today's post is first and foremost, about the making of a lovely strawberry rhubarb pie, but it is also about the kindness of strangers.  Last Friday, my husband and I took a drive to nearby Cookstown,  about 20 minutes from where we live in Barrie.  We were on our way to visit the Cookstown Antique Market where antiques and collectibles are housed in a century old barn.  I first had the pleasure of visiting this charming market last summer, when we drove by and saw a big sign leading to it. 

I didn't have my camera with me that day, so I've used a picture from their website.

I had a great time browsing through all the booths, upstairs and downstairs!  I even found a couple of treasures for myself, like a pink glass pedestal cake stand, and a beautiful cake/pie server (not that I needed another cake stand!).  Now, what I haven't mentioned, is that there was a sign by the entrance that read, "Free Rhubarb" - you can pick it yourself!  As I was paying for my items, I inquired with Debbie Lou about the rhubarb and how we could go about getting some.  Another of the girls, I didn't get her name, asked if either I or my husband had rubber boots (because it had rained and it was muddy by the rhubarb).  We of course, didn't, so the girls were kind enough to give me a large bunch which had been freshly picked. 

And here they are in all their glory!  Look at those crimson stalks!

When I saw the beautiful red color of the stalks, I was inspired to make rhubarb pie - the first rhubarb pie I would ever make.  There is something really special about pie.  Just the word "pie" conjures up thoughts and feelings of comfort, warmth, and happiness.  It reminds me of childhood books and cartoons where you see freshly baked pies cooling on window sills.  It was decided then and there - a pie it would be! 

First, I made the pie dough - an all-butter pate brisee - as I learned from Martha Stewart.

Here are my top and bottom crusts, ready to be refrigerated, for about an hour.

Measuring out the chopped strawberries and rhubarb - equal parts.

Ready to be filled

 

 

 

 

 

Filled with rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, a squeeze of lemon juice, and topped with bits of butter.  And in the center, is my beloved vintage pie bird, which I bought a few months ago.  This is the first pie I baked with him in it.  It reminds me of the old nursery rhyme:

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

 

Here, I brushed the top crust with egg wash and sprinkled it with turbinado sugar.

 

Fresh out of the oven, cooling on a rack, smelling delicious.  The only problem, is that we have to let it cool for at least a few hours, so it can set. 

 

Pie has cooled and is ready to cut...

 

 

"A boy doesn't have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn't like pie when he sees there isn't enough to go around"- Edgar Watson Howe

I would like to thank the girls at Cookstown Antique Market for the delicious tasting rhubarb.  Your kindness made my day extra special and I SO enjoyed baking this pie.  As well,  thank you to my followers and any new readers for visiting my kitchen today.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!  As always, I would love to read your comments.  xoxo