Pierogi (Cheese dumplings)
- Difficulty Moderate
- Active time 30 minutes
- Total time 1 hour 30 minutes
- Servings 50 pieces
- 500 g water
- 600 g potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces (3 cm)
- 150 g brown onion (approx. 1), cut into quarters
- 50 g salted butter
- 2 tsp semolina
- 500 g quark cheese (see Tips)
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
- 250 g warm water, plus extra for sealing and boiling
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 560 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 - 2 pinches sea salt
- 120 g salted butter, cut into cubes
- 180 g onion, diced for garnishing
- fresh chives, finely chopped for garnishing (optional)
- per 1 piece
- Calories 400 kJ / 95 kcal
- Protein 3 g
- Carbohydrates 10 g
- Fat 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat 1.8 g
- Fibre 0.8 g
- Sodium 91.3 mg
Preparation
Cheese filling
- Place water into mixing bowl. Place Varoma into position, then weigh potatoes into it. Secure Varoma lid and cook 25 min/Varoma/speed 1. Transfer potatoes into a bowl, then set aside to cool completely in refrigerator (approx. 15 minutes).
- Place onion into mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 8.
- Add butter and sauté 4 min/120°C/speed 1. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
- Place cooled potatoes and semolina into mixing bowl and chop 4 sec/speed 4.
- Add quark, sea salt, pepper and reserved sautéed onion and mix 30 sec/speed 3.5, with aid of spatula. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then mix for a further 20 sec/speed 3.5, with aid of spatula. Transfer cheese filling into a bowl and set aside. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Dough
- Place all dough ingredients into mixing bowl and knead Dough mode/1 min.
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured silicone bread mat or work surface, then roll out until very thin (3 mm). Using a cookie cutter (9 cm), cut out circles of dough (approx. 50).
- Place approx. 3 teaspoons of the reserved cheese filling into the centre of 1 circle of dough. Wet the edge of half the circle with a little water, then carefully fold dough over filling to create a half-moon shape enclosing the filling. Press all edges of the half-moon with your fingertips to seal. Repeat process with remaining circles of dough and remaining cheese filling to form approx. 50 pierogi.
- Fill a stock pot (3-4 L) ¾ of the way with water. Add salt, then place over high heat and bring the water to the boil. Cook in batches for 3-4 minutes, or until pierogi rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain before transferring into a thermal serving bowl or other large bowl and cover to keep warm.
Topping
- Place butter and onion into a large non-stick frying pan (26 cm) and fry off onions until golden in colour.
- Serve pierogi hot, drizzled with sautéed onion and butter mixture, garnished with fresh chives (optional).
Tips & Tricks
To make your own quark, please refer to the recipe on Cookidoo®. Quark can also be found at specialty delicatessens or European providores. If you cannot find quark, substitute it with 250 g firm well-drained ricotta and 250 g well-drained cottage cheese.
After rolling and cutting out your dough in step 7, we recommend filling your pierogi immediately to prevent drying out or covering the dough with a kitchen towel until needed.
Filling can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Serve leftover pierogi the next day by placing a frying pan over high heat and gently frying in oil until golden on both sides. Any uncooked pierogi can be frozen for later use. Separate pierogi onto baking trays and place into the freezer until frozen. Once frozen, into sealable plastic freezer bags to store until required. Cook frozen pierogi for 4-5 minutes in boiling water.
Leftover cheese filling can be tossed through hot pasta as a sauce.
