Plump Perogies Cooking Lesson

Dough: In bowl, combine flour with salt. Beat together egg, water and oil; stir into flour mixture to make soft but not sticky dough that holds together in ball. If necessary, add 1 tbsp (15 mL) water at a time, being careful not to make dough sticky.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead about 10 times or just until smooth. Halve dough; cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Filling: Meanwhile, in skillet, heat butter over medium heat; cook onion for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to bowl and mix in potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper.

Working with one portion of dough at a time and keeping remaining dough covered, roll out on lightly floured surface to about 1/16-inch (1.5 mm) thickness. Using 3-inch (8 cm) round cutter, cut dough into rounds.

Place 1 tsp (5 mL) filling on each round. Lightly moisten edge of one half of dough with water; pinch edges together to seal and crimp attractively. Place on cloth; cover with damp cloth to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining portion of dough.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook perogies, in batches, for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until they float to top, stirring gently to prevent perogies from sticking together or to bottom of pot. With slotted spoon, remove to colander to drain.

In large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion for about 5 minutes or until golden. Add perogies and toss to coat and warm through. Serve with sour cream. Makes about 36 perogies.

Additional information :

Filling Variations:
Cottage Cheese: Combine 1 cup (250 mL) pressed cottage cheese, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper and 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped green onion.

Mushroom: In skillet, melt 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter over medium heat; cook 3 cups (750 mL) chopped mushrooms and 1/3 cup (75 mL) finely chopped onion for 7 to 9 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: You can cover the perogies with a damp towel and refrigerate them for up to 8 hours before cooking. Freeze uncooked perogies with the potato filling and the mushroom filling on baking sheets, then pack them in freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw them before cooking.