From Grandmom to Martha. Coping through pirogi marches on.
Source: Martha Stewart & The Polonist
Makes: ~3 dozen | Time: 1.5 hours
Changes: veganized it; used dried herbs
Ingredients
Filling
1 1/4 pounds assorted #mushrooms, such as white, shiitake, or cremini
1/2 tbsp vegan butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots, (about 2 large)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp full-fat coconut milk (the thickest part)
1 tsp dried parsley
Dough
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt
For frying
Vegan butter
To Serve
Instructions
Start with the dough. I used a mixer. Seriously. Get a mixer. Attach a dough hook. Place flour in the work bowl. With the machine running, gradually add hot water, up to 1/4 cup.
Once you’re done, stop the mixer. Poke the dough a bit with your fingers. Ideally, the dough should be soft, but still hold its shape when pinched. If it feels too loose - add a tablespoon of flour. If it feels too tough, add some water (a teaspoon at the time).
Run the mixer for 5 minutes. After that time the dough should be soft, elastic and it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
Cover the dough ball for 15-30 minutes and keep at room temperature. You can use a cloth or a warmed bowl placed upside-down.
While the dough sits, make your filling. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms, and trim stems of white and cremini mushrooms. Place mushrooms in a food processor, and pulse about eight times, until finely chopped. Set aside.
In a medium saute pan, melt butter and oil over low heat; add shallots. Cook, covered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is nearly dry, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add coconut milk, thyme, and parsley, and cook about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Now let's get to the actual pirogi. 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 filling 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 one side is browned. Flip, and fry until that side is browned as well. Serve with vegan sour cream.