Pierogi – Polish Dumplings

CHEESE FILLING
1 c Dry curd cottage cheese 2 tb Sugar
1 ts Butter; melted 1 tb Lemon juice; fresh
1 Egg; beaten

———————SAUERKRAUT/MUSHROOM FILLING———————
1 sm Yellow onion, peeled; 2 c Sauerkraut, fresh, rinsed,
-finely chopped -drained; finely chopped
1 oz Dried mushrooms, soak 1/2 Salt; to taste
-hour in 1 c water Black pepper, freshly
2 tb Butter -ground; to taste

Recipe by: The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors In a large
bowl, mix all the ingredients and knead into a soft, pliable dough.
Cut in half and let rest, covered, for 10 mins. Roll out each half
into a thin circle. Using a drinking glass, cut the dough into round
circles and fill them with desired filling (recipes follow). Place
less than a Tbs of filling in the center of each circle and fold
over. Press and seal into a half moon. You may want to rub a bit of
water on the edges in order to get a great seal. Cook for 10 mins in
boiling salted water. Drain. They can be pan-fried in butter at this
point, if you wish, for a really tasty finish.

CHEESE FILLING: Run the cheese through a ricer, or a coarse sieve.
Then mix well with everything else.

SAUERKRAUT/MUSHROOM FILLING: Soak the mushroom and drain them through
a fine sieve. Chop the mushrooms finely. Pan-fry the onion and
mushrooms in the butter until the onion is clear. Add the sauerkraut
and salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 mins and cool.

CABBAGE/MUSHROOM FILLING: The same as the filling above but use 2 cups
finely shredded cabbage instead of sauerkraut.

POTATO/CHEESE FILLING: Boil peeled potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs, drain
and mash with a little butter and milk. Add grated sharp Cheddar
cheese to the potatoes and cool ( the more cheese the tastier). Taste
for salt and pepper.

MEAT FILLINGS: Various cooked meats may be used such as turkey, beef,
pork, etc. Simply grind the meat, add raw egg, salt and pepper, and
any additional desired seasonings, such as dill, parsley, or chives.