Recipe: Gluten-Free Perogies

With the onset of gluten-intolerance last year…I was missing out on an important piece of food from my life.  My mom used to make them.  I’d eat them as fast as she could cook them up.  I’m talking about perogies.  Yes.  Perogies.  Those delicious Polish dumplings that are stuffed with goodies in the filling.  In my case, it has always been potatoes and cheese.

Believe me, when the wonderful Jules Gluten Free posted this recipe on her blog, I couldn’t wait to make it.  Even better, my CSA bin was going to have Yukon gold potatoes in it…so I had the filling.  Some extra-sharp Cabot cheese was the other part of the filling.  And together…with the dough recipe…I was finally going to have perogies in my life again.

I couldn’t wait.

The recipe is super simple.  Not a lot goes in to them.  Just remember to not let your dough dry out as you stuff them.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Perogies

Servings: 36
Time: Prep 50 minutes; Cook 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream, dairy or non-dairy alternative (I used Tofutti’s Better Than Sour Cream)
• 1/4 cup +/- very warm water

For the filling:

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
• 3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot)

Directions:

In a large-bottomed bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.  Whisk together with a fork.  Form a well in the center and pour the oil and cracked egg into the well.

Whisk these together without incorporating much flour, until well mixed.  Add the sour cream to the well next, whisking to integrate.

Gradually begin stirring the flour in with the wet mixture in the center.  Meanwhile, pour 1/8 cup of water on top of the dry ingredients and stir that in as well. As the dough gets too dry, add in the additional 1/8 cup water.  Continue stirring with the fork until all the liquid is completely integrated.  If the dough is too dry, add more water, one tablespoon at at time.  The dough should hold together without being overly wet and sticky.

Gather the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.  Set out on the counter for at least 30 minutes while you prepare your fillings.

Cover the potatoes with water and add a little salt.  Bring to a boil and cover.  Allow potatoes to cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain the water and mash with a potato masher.  Add the cheese.  Stir well.  Season to taste.

After 30 minutes, prepare a clean counter or pastry mat by dusting with All Purpose Flour.  Divide the dough in half, turning one half of the dough onto the dusted surface and leaving one half of the dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

Begin rolling the dough by rolling gently in one direction, then in the other, to form a 1/8 inch thick round of dough.

Using a 3-inch round cutter (or larger), cut out circles of dough until all the dough is used.  One half of the dough should yield about 18 3-inch rounds.

Scoop out a marble-size ball of your prepared filling and place it just off the center line of one pastry circle.  Press each ball into a longer shape, more like the last knuckle of your index finger, so that the filling will fill the cavity of the crescent formed by folding the dough over itself.

Dip your finger in water and lightly dab around the edge of each pastry circle to wet it, helping one side to adhere to the other when folded over the filling.

Fold one side of the pastry over the filling, forming a semi-circle.

Press gently, being sure to seal the edges, then press again lightly with the tines of a fork.  Set each formed pierogi aside and cover with a damp towel until ready to boil.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and gently submerge each pierogi in the boiling water.  Put only as many pierogies into the pot as can boil without crowding (I boiled 6 at a time). Stir once in awhile, if necessary to prevent them from sticking together.  Once they begin to float, boil another 5 minutes – total boil time should be approximately 6-7 minutes.

Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon to rinse and drain.  Try not to let the pierogies touch while they are draining, so that they will not stick to one another.  Repeat until all pierogies are boiled.

Serve at this point, or pan fry in butter or non-dairy alternative until slightly crisp.

~*~*~

For my first attempt, these didn’t work out quite as planned.  But, they were still good.  They lacked some seasoning, but that was my own fault.  I ended up boiling them, then searing them off in a pan with some butter.  Very yummy.  Gave them a little crisp on the dough.

While these do require some work, some time, and yes…some patience…being able to eat perogies again made it all worth it.  And I, once again, have the marvelous Jules Gluten Free to thank for this recipe!