Growing up, pretty much every Christmas, I made traditional potato pirogi with my mother based off of my Ukrainian grandmother's recipe. In recent years, I've experimented with new takes, though I've only share the sweet potato and beet recipe on this blog.
Here's the latest one inspired by a kale polenta meal I made back in March. The filling has a more Italian flavor profile than an East European vibe, so the hubby came up with an oil based (not sour cream based) sauce that really made the flavors sing. Super proud of myself for thinking outside of the box. If you're a ravioli maker, I'd love to see a ravioli version and your take on any sauce or seasoning changes.
Sources: Grandmom, Previous Kidney Being Recipe
Makes: 10-15 pierogies | Time: 1 - 1.5 hr
Ingredients
Kale Polenta
1 bunch #kale, thick stems removed
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Tubby Olive garlic infused EVO
1 18-oz tube of polenta, chopped up into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt , more to taste
1 tbsp vegan butter
Dough
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 eggs beaten with 1/4 of warm water (add more water if needed)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
Garnish
Olive oil, fresh minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese (all to taste)
Instructions
Kale Polenta
I did this step earlier in the day as well. Blend kale, salt, and EVO. Stir polenta and broth together in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until the polenta is heated through completely, about 5 minutes. Reduce to the lowest heat and then stir in remaining ingredients and kale puree. Keep cooking until most of the moisture has evaporated. Set aside and let cool. You may want to put it in the fridge to help it firm up before assembly time. That's what I did.
Dough
Combine ingredients. Knead for 30 minutes. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer, so I just used the dough hook for about 15 minutes.
Assembly
Set up a flat service with some sprinkled flour. Take a piece of the dough at a time and roll it into a ball 1 inch in diameter. Rub some flour on your rolling pin and roll out a circle about 2-3 inches in diameter. Add 1 tbsp of the kale polenta mix and add it to the center of the circle. Wet the edge of one half of the dough circle. Fold the dry side over and pinch the edges to seal the pirogi. Repeat until you're out of dough.
When you're about halfway through the dough, fill a large pot with water (about 3/4 of the way to the top). Put it on the stove over a medium-high burner and bring the water to a boil. Add a little salt if you want to get the boil going faster.
Once you're done with forming the pirogi, add 3-4 at a time to the boiling water. Remove as the float to the top, which can take as little as a minute or as long as 4. When you remove them, put them on a flat dish and try to keep them separated. They have an annoying tendency to stick to each other ruining the next step.
Once you've boiled your pirogi, warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Add some butter or oil to the skillet. Then add your pirogi and fry until on each side until browned (about 4-5 minutes per side).
When you have about 30 seconds left, add as much of the garnish to taste and toss well.
Remove from skillet and serve warm.