The traditional recipe for Polish pierogi

The traditional recipe for Russian pierogi. Thin, elastic dough filled with cream cheese, boiled potatoes, and fried onions. Delicious, tasty, soft, and of course homemade. Simply the best.

Russian pierogi are the most popular type of pierogi in Poland. Do not confuse the name, as it is often done, with Russia, where this type of pierogi is not very well known because they were very popular among Poles living in the territories of Russia.

Ingredients:

Dough:

– 500 g wheat flour

– approx. 300 ml of hot, boiled water

– 1 flat tbsp salt

Filling:

– 500 g potatoes

– 500 g semi- or full-fat cream cheese

– 1 large onion

– salt, pepper

– 1 tbsp frying oil

Way of preparing:

1. Prepare the filling. Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. While still warm, mash with a potato masher. Leave until completely cool.
2. Crumble the cheese with your hand.
3. Peel, dice, and fry the onion in oil.
4. Mix onions, potatoes, and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Prepare the dough. Pour the flour into a bowl. Add salt and stir. Pour gradually hot water from a kettle (the warmer it is, the better the dough will be, but don’t use boiling water to avoid burning yourself) and knead into a uniform elastic, soft dough. The dough should not be sticky. (If the dough is well kneaded, you should see air bubbles in the cross-section).
6. Divide the dough into parts. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough very thinly. (While rolling out one portion of the dough, transfer the rest to a bowl and cover with a cloth so it doesn’t dry out).
7. From the rolled-out dough cut circles e.g., with a glass. Put the filling with a spoon into the middle, fold the dough in half and seal the edges well. Place the finished pierogi on a floured board or countertop and cover with a cloth to prevent them from drying out. 
8. Pierogi can be frozen or cooked right away and served. 
9. Drop the pierogi into boiling water and cook, on low heat, in salted water for about 2 minutes after they surfaced. After dropping pierogi into the water, stir gently with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
10. Remove with a skimmer. Serve with fried onions in oil or butter, with sour cream or natural yogurt. If the cooked pierogi are to be kept in the fridge, e.g., until the next day, pour some oil over them and coat them well so that they don’t stick together when put into a bowl or other dish.

According to my granny, this recipe is for about 65 to 70 of them.

Enjoy the meal! ?