Meat Pierogi

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (140g) water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20g) butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces (340g) leftover cooked chicken and beef meat ((see notes for more explanation))
• 3 tablespoons frying oil
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/4-1/2 cup good-quality chicken or beef broth
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• clarified butter or frying oil for pan-frying pierogi (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Make the dough: ---

2. 2

   Stir the flour with salt in a medium/large bowl.

3. 3

   Warm the water with butter in a small pot until the butter is melted and the liquid is very warm but not boiling (it's ready when the water starts to steam).

4. 4

   Add the liquid to the bowl. Stir the dough with a spoon until roughly combined.

5. 5

   Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a hook dough attachment, until it’s soft and smooth (it will take about 5 minutes with the mixer). If you follow the recipe exactly (especially if you weigh the ingredients, instead of using measuring cups), the dough should be perfect, but if for some reason it’s not, add some water if it’s too dry, or a little bit of flour if it’s too wet.

6. 6

   Wrap the dough with plastic foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

7. 7

   --- Make the filling: ---

8. 8

   Proces the meat in a food processor until finely chopped.

9. 9

   Dice the onion, finely chop the garlic (with a knife and not a garlic press).

10. 10

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and the onions, add a pinch of salt and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.

11. 11

    Add garlic and herbs, cook for 30 seconds.

12. 12

    Add the meat and 1/4 cup of broth. Cook until warmed up. Season with salt and pepper. Add more broth if the mixture is too dry.

13. 13

    --- Shape and fill pierogi: ---

14. 14

    Divide the dough into 2 parts.

15. 15

    Roll out the first part of the dough on a lightly floured surface (I like silicone rolling mats). Cut out rounds with pierogi cutter/biscuit cutter/a glass. The dough should be rolled out thinly. If the dough is hard to roll out, set it aside for about 5-10 minutes to rest.

16. 16

    Gather scraps, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

17. 17

    Scoop some filling with a teaspoon and pinch it with your fingers so it's more compact. Place some of the filling on each round.

18. 18

    Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Press edges together, sealing and crimping with your fingers.

19. 19

    Place the pierogi apart on a towel lightly sprinkled with flour, cover loosely with a kitchen cloth so they don‘t dry out.

20. 20

    Repeat with the remaining dough.

21. 21

    --- Cook pierogi: ---

22. 22

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

23. 23

    Cook the pierogi in batches (for a 8-inch (21 cm) pot I cook about 10-12 dumplings at a time). When they float to the water surface cook them for 1 minute, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the dough, you may want to try cooking them for 2 minutes for thicker dough.

24. 24

    Drain well and transfer onto a plate.

25. 25

    Optional step: pan-frying pierogi. These pierogi taste best pan-fried so after you have boiled them you can add them to hot clarified butter (or oil) in a pan and cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy.

26. 26

    Enjoy!