Rolling with the Rogies

When I think about my childhood a few things come to mind.

Riding bikes on "the flat" which wasn't really flat. It was sort of flat.
It was the top of the hill on Plateau Street where I grew up in Pittsburgh.  I always thought that was a funny street name.

Spending every waking moment in the summer at the Phillips Park Pool. We didn't look like a bunch of Polish kids by the end of summer. I think people thought we were the milk man's kids. 

If we only had a milk man.

Watching the Disney channel. Lot's of the Disney channel.

My mom paid for the subscription to it.

Under the Umbrella Tree anyone?

Anyone?

I also never wanted to eat dinner at the dinner table.  I played around with my siblings a lot at the dinner table and food was last on my mind. Especially when it was something that I didn't like very much, like pork chops. I hated them. I think I just hated chewing meat. Maybe this is one of the reasons I don't eat meat today. My mom often put the timer on the microwave for "15 minutes" that is all the time we had to finish. If we didn't finish our dinner...it was off to bed.

We usually waited until the last 2 minutes to try and choke down our cold dinner.

Sometimes we failed.

Especially if there were peas or creamed corn. Two things I hated.

What I didn't hate.

Pierogies.

I mean who can hate piergoies.

Really.

I'm asking you...

***

Yeah, that is right no one can really because they are simple and so damn good. We ate them a lot.

Hey we were a bunch of polish kids.

This kind of thing just happened.

Just like this dough. It just happens.

It's like a pillow when you are done making it.

Seriously.

It is.

I haven't made pierogies in a long time.

I forgot how easy and fun they were to make.

And seriously, the dough...

It is not like pasta dough.

It's soft and fluffy. Kind of like pizza dough.

But there is no yeast or baking powder or baking soda here.

These aren't Polish hands you see. But those hands were good pierogi making hands.

I was impressed. Those hands could roll out dough, cut circles, stuff, fill and pinch a pierogi closed faster than I ever imagined.

And that is the best part. Filling and folding and pinching the pierogies into beautiful half moons.

So forget about picking up a frozen box of Mrs. T's and make these. They are so easy and so much fun. Plus you can manipulate the filling to your taste.

Most people will do a simple potato and cheese filling. I decided to add mushroom. And it worked out well. They turned out yummy. I ate quite a few. Full belly = Happy belly! 

And to me...these are waaaaaay better than those polish prune filled ones. I am glad we didn't have to eat those as kids.That would have been something I would have had to choke down or go to bed.

I probably would have just gone to bed.

Pierogi Dough Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour

1 egg

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

1 cup water

The Filling Recipe

4-5 medium red potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup farmers cheese
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Make the dough:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then knead on a well floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Wrap in plastic and rest for at least 30 minutes. Dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Make the filling:

Boil potatoes in water until fork tender. Meanwhile...saute the onion in a skillet with butter/oil until softened and then add in garlic and mushrooms. Saute for another 1-2 minutes. Once the potatoes are finished cooking (peel potatoes if you haven't already) mash in a bowl with a little butter and a splash of milk/cream and the cheeses. Add in the mushroom mixture. Mix until combined. Add in the chives. Salt and pepper as needed.

Note: Add as much cheese as you like. Some people like them really cheesy...this time I didn't go for cheesy.

Make the pierogies:

Once the dough has rested roll out to about a 1/4 inch thickness and then cut with the rim of a glass into circles. Fill the circles with desired filling and press sides together with fingers. Saute the pierogies in a skillet with butter over medium heat until slightly browned on each side. Dress with sour cream...if that is your thing.

In loving memory of Martha Zychowski...love you "little" grandma :)