I wish to attest to the fact that JLBear is a fantastic cooking teacher! She taught me how to make my own pierogies from scratch. I am so NOT a cook so I couldn't believe that I actually did it.
We talked about maybe doing a pie baking peep meet next fall. I can't wait!
Not in my house they won't. Once you taste these, you will never go back to store bought. I cannot tell you the number of people we have converted. The recipe is not difficult at all. It is just time consuming because I don't know how to make a small batch. The batch we did used 10 lbs of potatoes.
JLBear71's Great-Grandmom’s Pierogies
Potato Filling
5 lbs Potatoes - 2-3 containers (8 oz) Farmers Cheese (either soft or shredded) 2-3 bricks (8 oz) Cream Cheese Salt and Pepper to taste (I leave out the salt and add about a tablespoon of white pepper to 5 lbs of potatoes)
1. Make potato filling the night before 2. Mash the potatoes with the cheese but do not use butter or milk.
Dough
3½-4 Cups Flour - All Purpose 1 Egg 1 teaspoon Salt 1 Cup Water – Lukewarm
1. Make a well with the flour and add remaining ingredients. 2. Mix well by hand until a very soft dough forms. Mixers can make the dough tough.
Note: You may need to adjust the flour and/or water to get the right consistency. Humidity, temperature and sea level can vary your results.
To make the pierogies
1. Roll dough out on flat surface and cut into shapes 2. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling and seal the edges using a little water 3. Cover with a light towel before cooking to keep from drying out the dough
To cook the pierogies
1. Boil pierogies until they float for a few minutes to cook the dough and reheat the filling 2. Sauté in butter and onions until lightly golden
To reheat Pierogies
1. Saute in butter and onions until reheated
These freeze well in smaller batches (just enough for one meal)