Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms

Pierogi z kapustą i grzybami: dumplings filled with sauerkraut and dried wild mushrooms, all put through a meat grinder with fried onion. They are the pierogi of the Polish Christmas Eve table, when the meal is meatless. The dried mushrooms are what make them. A good dose of dried boletes gives the filling a smoky, meaty depth that sauerkraut alone never has.

Untested: I have not cooked this one yet. It is here because the Mushrooms dive needed it, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• Dough
• 600 g flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 400 ml boiling water
• 50 g butter or oil
• Filling
• 125 g dried mushrooms (boletes if possible)
• 1 carrot
• 1 parsley root
• 1 kg sauerkraut
• 3 onions, chopped and fried

Salt and pepper

• To serve
• Fried onion, butter or sour cream

Directions

Key ingredients

Black Pepper

1. Soak the mushrooms. Soak the dried mushrooms in water overnight. Next day, simmer them 25 to 30 minutes with the carrot and parsley root.
2. Cook the kraut. Cook the sauerkraut about 45 minutes, until soft, then drain and squeeze dry.
3. Grind the filling. Put the mushrooms, sauerkraut and fried onions through a meat grinder. Season well and let it cool.
4. The dough. Mix the flour and salt, pour in the boiling water with the butter, and knead into a smooth, soft dough. Rest it covered.
5. Fill. Roll the dough thin, cut circles, fill, and pinch the edges firmly closed.
6. Cook. Boil in salted water about 2 minutes after they float. Serve with fried onion, butter or sour cream.

Notes

Where this recipe came from Adapted from Kwestia Smaku’s pierogi z kapustą (kwestiasmaku.com). The quantities are theirs. They also publish a separate Christmas Eve version.

Related The collection’s other pierogi: Pierogi (Polish Dumplings), Potato and Cheddar Pierogi.