Possible Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully
and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being

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Please Fave the original Here

These were a bit of a challenge to make, but it was worth it!

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Please fave and comment on the original submission:

part 1 click here - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/7756236/
part 2 click here - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/7761387/

Pretty damn delicious pierogies from the kitchens of chrismukkah

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Pierogies

Part 1

These guys I found on a You Tube segment...now mind you, this is UNCOOKED for the most past, but once it hits the frying pan I'm sure you'll forgive me :P

And this recipe goes to ...just keeping my promise, THATS ALL!

*ahem* Anyways...

Ingredients:

1 lb russet potatoes (I used 1/2 russet and 1/2 red)
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium sized onions (actually called for one)
2-3 cloves garlic
a good chunk of leftover HAM
salt and pepper to taste
generous shake of paprika
pinch of nutmeg (optional, but I thought that would add a bit of complexity)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used skim- if lactose intolerant...um...soft tofu might be the way to go here)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (used a mix of cheddar & Monterey jack...or use soy cheese if intolerant)

For the dough:

1 egg
1/3 cup milk (If lactose intolerant, I'm sure that lactaid/soy milk would work as well)
1 cup flour (or use gluten free flour if you cant do gluten)...basically, just keep adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky. (I used about 2 1/2 cups, no more)

Please note that this DOES make a LOT of filling... however, you can always freeze it if need be :3

SO: The dough- just find a large bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk, then stir in the flour until no longer sticky as stated previously. (Your best bet is to use your paws folks :P) Once you are DONE, just cover the bowl with some saran wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

While that’s resting, time to make the filling!

Find a large pot, fill with water (you should also season it with just a bit of salt) and bring to a boil. CAREFULLY put in your potatoes (you can always use tongs or those plastic oven-proof mitts) and let them boil for about 30 - 45 minutes.

While those are boiling, now is the time to sauté!

Find a medium sized bowl to put to one side (preferably close to where you are cooking :P), then, grab a equally sized sauté' pan, turn on the heat to a medium high. Slice up the onions and garlic, then add to the pan one tablespoon unsalted butter to get things going...then sauté the onions until translucent. I also found it helpful to dice up the ham, and yeah, I added it to the cooking onions and garlic to make things interesting.

Put in a dash of that paprika, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste (you wont need a lot of salt as the ham is already salty enough!) and stir around a bit more- then- take it off from the heat and throw that onion and ham mix into the bowl!

Let it cool for just a bit, then you can add the 1/2 cup ricotta and the 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and fold it all together in that same bowl.

Once the potatoes are done (you'll be able to tell when the potatoes float to the top) urn of the heat on those guys and, very, VERY carefully, dump out the water in your sink (a strainer is your friend here folks)...BUT leave the potatoes in the pot- grab your potato masher, and toss in the other two tablespoons of unsalted butter to keep them 'loose'! I left them still a bit chunky, but depends on which way you like to go :P

Then once THAT cools...

Time to make the pierogies! Use a floured surface...and your trusty rolling pin (or bottle of wine) and flatten out the dough. It will take a bit of effort- but your dough should be pliable enough, thanks to the rest that it had.

You can also have a small bowl to the side with either water or egg wash- and you can use a cookie cutter...biscuit cutter...open, empty can of whatever (that’s been cleaned out)- just make sure its large enough, I went with a smaller 'round cut' which wasn’t to bright of me derp :P

What’s more, just squish and reuse, reroll and cut. (When in doubt you can always make another batch of dough)

Then- just a teaspoon of filling is all you need (you can just do the potato straight up, but I mixed potato with the ham mixture and then the ham mixture, without the potato)...wash the ends with either water or egg wash, and pinch. (In my case...er...like I said, shouldn’t have cut that dough so small and it wasn’t enough to cover everything- which, in turn, left me with no choice but to cover over the pierogi with more dough to seal it *dies*)

Then- you can boil for about 3 minutes (until they float to the top) then fry them in your sauté pan until nice and brown (might have to fry these guys as is, I don’t want to lose any filling)...

And then, enjoy them with some spinach or roasted beets or something nom nom nom the end :P

Enjoy!

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Part 2

Just so that I could get this out of the way, and show the cooked version :3

Surprisingly, they boiled- and held their shape- rather well! (I was afraid they would fall apart in the cooking)

3 minutes of boiling as I said, and they floated- then fished them out with a slotted spoon and then they went onto my sauté pan with a good bit of olive oil and medium-high heat - (a splatter screen is a MUST here folks)- fry until brown- (another three minutes, if that- though you can cook just a bit longer if you like it 'burnt') and serve :)

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~~~ Updated notes: As a reminder - once you boil them, definitely drain and pat them dry; because once you fry them, the water will be your worst enemy! (I would still have a splatter screen nearby just in case)

Other than that, enjoy!